Air Power Actuator with Memory Material Biasing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing amusement systems lack user-actuable active elements that can be easily integrated into clothing, particularly for children, to provide a wide range of interactive and engaging experiences without being overly complex or costly.
Innovation Solution
An air-powered actuator system that includes a first air cavity with an outlet for air expulsion and a remotely located air-actuated active element, which transitions from a pliant to a rigid mode upon air inflation, driven by a memory material without additional biasing elements, and an elongate communication channel to transfer air between cavities, allowing for user-actuated elements in clothing like footwear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an air-powered actuator system with remote active element is used, then the amusement system becomes more versatile and engaging, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into separate functional components: a first air cavity for air storage, an elongate communication channel for air transfer, and a second air cavity within the active element for actuation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system versatility without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elongate communication channel acts as an intermediary component that couples the first air cavity to the second air cavity. This mediator enables remote actuation of the active element while keeping the air storage and actuation mechanisms spatially separated, thus increasing design flexibility without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Device complexity
If memory material is used to bias the active element in the first mode, then additional discrete biasing elements are eliminated, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The memory material's physical and chemical parameters are specifically formulated to provide the desired biasing force and recovery characteristics. By adjusting parameters such as polymer composition, cross-linking density, and glass transition temperature, the material can be tuned to eliminate the need for separate biasing elements while maintaining manufacturing feasibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The memory material is formulated as a composite material combining polymers with specific properties to achieve both the biasing function and the actuation response. This composite approach allows integration of multiple functions (biasing, actuation, recovery) into a single material system, reducing component count while managing manufacturing precision through material science rather than mechanical assembly.
3Ease of operation
If the active element transitions from pliant to rigid mode upon air inflation, then the amusement system becomes more responsive to user action, but the reliability requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The active element utilizes pneumatic principles where air inflation causes the second air cavity to expand, transitioning the element from a pliant to a rigid state. This pneumatic mechanism provides reliable and responsive actuation because air is compressible and can be quickly introduced or released, enabling immediate response to user action while maintaining structural integrity during the rigid phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The active element is designed to dynamically change its mechanical properties (from pliant to rigid) based on air cavity pressure. This dynamic behavior allows the element to be flexible during storage and transport but becomes rigid and reliable during actuation, providing both ease of operation and dependable performance when needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a flexible architecture for creating various active amusement devices, maintaining engagement through responsive elements that are rugged, resilient, and cost-effective, with extended cycle times under diverse operating conditions, suitable for plush thematic footwear.
Implementation Method 1
the air-actuated active element includes a memory material formed into the first mode wherein the air-actuated active element is biased in the first mode without an additional discrete biasing element
Implementation Method 2
an elongate communication channel, coupled to the outlet and to the active element, transferring the portion of air from the first air cavity to the second air cavity
Data Source
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AI summary
A clothing article for a foot including a sole including a sealed collapsible air cavity having disposed therein a return support for expanding a collapsed air cavity wherein the air cavity includes an outlet permitting a quantity of air to exit when the air cavity is collapsed; an upper, coupled to the sole, for covering a portion of the foot; an air-actuated active element coupled to the upper, the active element including a first mode and a second mode, the active element biased to the first mode and responsive to the quantity of air to transition from the first mode to the second mode; and a communication channel, coupled to the outlet and to the active element, for transferring the quantity of air from the air cavity to the active element.