Smart Block Display System for Dynamic Information Representation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blocks and parts are limited in expressive information such as shape, size, and preset color, restricting their application range and making it difficult to expand their expressive capabilities without complicating their structures.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a communication unit to transmit and receive signals with a host terminal, and a display unit that can change form based on requests, allowing blocks to represent various shapes, sizes, and information, including complex forms like humans, animals, and industrial products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If blocks have simple structures made of mass of plastics, then they can be provided at low cost, but they are limited in expressive information such as shape, size, and preset color
Solution Approach 1:
The block structure is designed to perform multiple functions: it serves as both a physical building block and a display device. The display unit integrated into the block allows it to show various information (shapes, sizes, colors, patterns) without changing its physical structure, enabling one simple block design to replace multiple specialized blocks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces physical/mechanical differentiation of blocks (different shapes, sizes, colors made from different materials or molding processes) with electronic/optical display technology. Instead of manufacturing different types of plastic blocks, the system uses a single block design with a display unit that can electronically present various visual information.
2Device complexity
If blocks have fixed forms and preset colors, then their structure remains simple, but their application range is narrow and expressive world is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The block's visual characteristics are made dynamic through the display unit, which can change its output based on received signals. The block transitions from a static, fixed-form object to a dynamic display device that can adapt its visual presentation to represent different shapes, sizes, colors, and information types as needed by the host terminal.
Solution Approach 2:
The display unit enables the block to change its visual parameters (color, shape representation, size indication, patterns) by receiving control signals from the host terminal. This allows the same physical block to present different visual parameters without any physical modification to the block structure itself.
3Adaptability or versatility
If blocks are designed with diverse shapes and forms to represent various objects, then expressive capability expands, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of manufacturing physical copies of various objects as blocks, the system creates visual copies through the display unit. The display can show images, icons, or graphical representations of different objects (humans, animals, industrial products, etc.), allowing the block to represent diverse forms without requiring diverse physical structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A block system 1 includes a block 102 and a host terminal 10. The block 102, configured such that two or more blocks are connectable with each other, includes a power supply mechanism 110 for supplying power to the block 102, a communication mechanism 114 for establishing connection with the host terminal 10 to transmit and receive various signals, a storage mechanism 112 for storing identification information related with the block 102, a display mechanism 118 for emitting light and displaying an image under the control of the host terminal 10, and a control mechanism 116 for executing programmed processing in accordance with a signal from the host terminal 10.