Patent ID: 11928916
Assignee: ARISTOCRAT TECHNOLOGIES AUSTRALIA PTY LIMITED
Field: Audio-visual technology (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G | IPC A  G

Claim 3:
4. The system of claim 1, wherein:
each first wheel segment is interfaced with a corresponding linear guide that constrains movement of the first wheel segment interfaced therewith to translation along a translation axis within 10° of parallel to the center axis,
each first wheel segment extends through a corresponding segment of arc centered on the center axis and having a wheel segment sweep angle defined by an acute angle between two radii perpendicular to the center axis and intersecting the endpoints of that corresponding segment of arc,
the actuation mechanism includes a rotary cam structure configured to rotate about a rotation axis,
the rotary cam structure has an annular cam surface,
the actuation mechanism further includes one or more motors configured to cause the rotary cam structure to rotate about the rotation axis responsive to one or more control signals,
each first wheel segment includes a cam follower structure that is configured to contact the annular cam surface when the annular cam surface is located at a first distance from a reference plane that is a) perpendicular to the center axis and b) located such that the set of first wheel segments is interposed between the rotary cam structure and the reference plane,
the annular cam surface includes one or more base regions, a plurality of flanking regions, and one or more cam nose regions,
each flanking region is circumferentially interposed between one of the one or more base regions and one of the one or more cam nose regions,
each cam nose region is located closer to the reference plane than the one or more base regions adjoining the two flanking regions between which that cam nose region is interposed,
each cam nose region extends through a corresponding segment of arc centered on the rotation axis and having a cam nose region sweep angle defined by an acute angle between two radii perpendicular to the rotation axis and intersecting the endpoints of that corresponding segment of arc, and
the cam nose region sweep angle is less than a smallest wheel segment sweep angle of the wheel segment sweep angles.