Abstract:
A three-dimensional electro-mechanical system for making mechanical structures using snap-together parts or building blocks that easily demonstrate the principles required in making three-dimensional electronic circuits incorporated in the mechanical structures. A reusable electronic module that contains batteries or other power sources and has means for attaching to other electronic modules to power these three-dimensional circuits and prevent and warn the user of excessive current.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    A three-dimensional electro-mechanical system having mechanical structures that produce electrical circuits as an integral part of the mechanical structure is provided. The electro-mechanical system relates specifically to mechanical structures that easily and quickly connect together. The system has safety circuits in communication with the power supply, which make the system especially suitable for use by children and/or students while learning electronics, mechanics, and/or architecture. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Toys and teaching aids exist that use mechanical connectors to quickly assemble electronic circuits. Further, toys and teaching aids exist that use a mechanical connector to quickly assemble mechanical structures. Some of these mechanical structures add a motor for motion or a light for visual effects. These toys are often used to amuse a child or teach some mechanical or electronic principle. Quick connect electronic assembly systems currently being sold usually consist of a box of electronic devices mounted to quick connect electronic modules. Diagrams for electronic circuits are included to educate a student or entertain a child. Most of these circuits are assembled in the same or parallel plane, and the circuit paths are not part of a three-dimensional mechanical structure such as a building, a Ferris wheel, or an airplane, to name just a few. 
         [0003]    Examples of previous construction block patents include U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,796 to Shackelford, which provides a child&#39;s construction set containing virtual intelligence and is interactive and smart. These characteristics may be exhibited to a player during player construction activity with the set and, thereafter, during continuing play; this instills a sense of unpredictability to play. The set incorporates a programmed controller (17), a speaker (23), special (“smart”) play pieces or blocks (1,3,5,7, et cet.), and a base (15) on which to position the play pieces or blocks. Sensors (A1-C3), referred to as “hot spots,” are distributed at various positions about the base and are coupled to the controller, whereby the controller identifies special play pieces and the location of those play pieces when the respective play piece is installed at one of those positions. Some of the special play pieces may depict characters, some contain electrically operated devices, and some contain a player-operated input device. The controller issues speech messages or other audible effects through the speaker to effect a virtual personality to the character play pieces as well as controls operation of electrically operated devices in special blocks, and detects and responds to player inputs from the player input blocks. Through wireless communication devices, the controller may acquire information from and supply speech messages to accessory blocks that are used off the base of the construction set. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    Most electronic circuits are created on a flat surface or base to keep components in close proximity, their connection paths short and to keep the electrical circuits in the same or parallel plane. The current system allows the assembly of electronic circuits and mechanical structures to exist in multiple planes and at distal locations to each other. Further, the present system helps eliminate circuit errors, which can be difficult to detect. More specifically, the circuit errors may be prevented by, for example, placing safety devices that protect and warn the user of electronic assembly errors in the connecting process. The system may also help eliminate shorted power sources during construction by keeping the assembly of these electro-mechanical structures quick, simple, and educational. 
         [0005]    It is the purpose of this system to use both conductive and non-conductive quick connect or stackable parts that can form three-dimensional mechanical structures. The conductive parts may be used to form electronic paths through the mechanical structure, and the non-conductive parts may be used to insulate and prevent shorts to undesired areas. The system may have an additional power source module that makes an error in the electronic assembly obvious with any combination of sounds, lights, and/or speech. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES 
         [0006]    The accompanying Figures illustrate the following: 
           [0007]    
         FIG. 1 
       
           [0008]      FIG. 1  illustrates a perspective view of an electronically non-conductive construction beam  100  with non-conductive female connectors  101 ,  102  containing a conductive clip  105 ,  106 , which is mechanically and electronically connected to leads  103 ,  104  of an electronic component  107 . 
           [0009]    
         FIG. 2 
       
           [0010]      FIG. 2  is a side plan view having the right side wall removed of a non-conductive construction beam  200  showing the two conductive clips  201 ,  202  and the mechanical connections  203 ,  204  between the conductive clips  201 ,  202  and the leads  205 ,  206  of an electronic component  207 . 
           [0011]    
         FIG. 3 
       
           [0012]      FIG. 3  illustrates conductive mechanical parts  300 - 304  with dashed lines indicating the x-axis  305 , y-axis  306 , or z-axis  307  along which current paths may exist. 
           [0013]    
         FIG. 4 
       
           [0014]      FIG. 4  illustrates a non-conductive mechanical part  401  with the same shape and size as shown in  FIG. 3  that may be used to block current flow between conductive parts  400 ,  402 . 
           [0015]    
         FIG. 5 
       
           [0016]      FIG. 5  illustrates a battery-powered voltage source module  500  with a Current limiting device  501 , an audible tone and speech circuit  508 , and a bi-color light-emitting diode (LED)  505  to indicate proper operation or excess current. 
           [0017]    
         FIG. 6 
       
           [0018]      FIG. 6  illustrates the circuitry associated with the battery-powered voltage source module  500  that contains both visual and audible warning circuits  508 . 
           [0019]    
         FIG. 7 
       
           [0020]      FIG. 7  illustrates an electro-mechanical  750  structure that uses beams to demonstrate the concept of mechanical structures with current paths  710 - 719 , and conductive  721  and non-conductive parts  720  used in the mechanical structure. 
           [0021]    
         FIG. 8 
       
           [0022]      FIG. 8  illustrates an electro-mechanical  800  structure that uses blocks or bricks to demonstrate the concept of mechanical structures with current paths  809 ,  816  and conductive  801 - 808 ,  810 - 815  and non-conductive blocks or bricks  825  used in the mechanical structure. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0023]    The present system has a power-source module  500 ,  824  having warnings that may include, for example, audible sound and/or speech circuits  508  and/or a visual indicator  505 ,  605 ,  701 ,  823  when too much electrical current is being removed from the batteries  502 - 504 ,  600  to power consuming components of the system. The surfaces on the power-source module housing  500 ,  824  may be non-conductive so as to prevent the components from being shorted. A current limiting device  501 ,  601  may limit the flow of electrical current from the direct current (DC) batteries  502 - 504 ,  600  by dropping voltage across the body of the current limiting device  501 ,  601 . The addition of a bi-color light-emitting diode (LED)  505 ,  604 ,  605 ,  701 ,  823  may glow, for example, green when power is on  604  and may turn, for example, red  605  when too much current is being drawn from the batteries  502 - 504  or may glow when a short between positive electrical paths  710 ,  719 ,  816  and negative electrical paths  717 ,  718 ,  809  exists. The speaker  507 ,  602 ,  708 ,  821  and circuit board  508 ,  606  may provide an audible tone and/or speech to indicate that an excessive current condition exists. 
         [0024]    The system may have two non-conductive mechanical female connection areas  511 ,  512 , which may provide positive voltage  608  output points through conductive springs or clips  513 , which may connect to conductive male connecting  403  mechanical structures. In a similar manner, the non-conductive mechanical female connectors  509 ,  510  on the other end may provide negative voltage  609  output points through a second conductive spring or clip  514  located at the distal end of the device, to conductive male connecting  403  mechanical structures. 
         [0025]    A simple slide switch  506 ,  607 ,  700 ,  822  may be used to turn the positive voltage output  608  conductive springs or clips  513  on or off. A current limiting device  601 ,  501  may limit the current from the DC power source  600  by dropping voltage across the body of the device  501 ,  601 . The addition of light-emitting diode (LED)  605  may provide a visual indication that too much current is being drawn and/or that a short exists in the system, while the light-emitting diode  604  may provide a visual indication that operation of the system is normal and that the power source  500 ,  702 ,  824  is turned on. 
         [0026]    A resistor  603  may limit the electrical current through the LEDs  505 ,  604 ,  605 ,  701 ,  823 . In a similar manner, the addition of the circuit board  508 ,  606  may provide an audible tone through the speaker  507 ,  602 ,  708 ,  821  to indicate that an excessive current condition exists. The circuit board  508 ,  606  may receive no voltage across it when the current limiting device  501 ,  601  is in a mode to supply circuit current and not produce a voltage drop. When excessive current is drawn, the current limiting device  501 ,  601  may produce a voltage drop that may appear across the circuit board  508 ,  606 . As a result, the voltage drop may produce a light through an LED  605 ,  505 , and/or audible warning sounds through the speaker  507 ,  602 ,  708 ,  821 . 
         [0027]    A switch  506 ,  607 ,  700 ,  822  may be used to turn the voltage from the DC voltage source  502 - 504 ,  600  on or off. In this manner, a protected positive voltage may be made available at a plus terminal  608  of the power source  500 ,  824  with a return current path through the negative terminal  609 ,  820  of the power source  500 ,  824 . The mechanical parts  300 - 304 ,  721 ,  801 - 808 ,  810 - 815  may be made of any conductive material or the surfaces of the mechanical parts  300 - 304 ,  721 ,  801 - 808 ,  810 - 815  may be plated so as to make all exposed surfaces electrically conductive. A conductive part  303  may only allow mechanical connection along one axis. Other parts  302  may only allow mechanical connection along two axes. Some parts  301 , 304  may allow mechanical connection along all three axes. When two conductive parts  300 ,  302  are connected along the same axis, as shown by the arrow  308  in  FIG. 3 , the electrical current will stay along the same x-axis  305 . When two conductive parts  300 ,  302  are connected at right angles to each other, as shown by the arrow  309  in  FIG. 3 , the electrical current may change from the x-axis  305  to the y-axis  306 . In this manner, electrical current can be directed in any direction along any axis. Non-conductive mechanical parts  401 ,  720 ,  825  with similar shapes and/or sizes as the parts shown in  FIG. 3  and/or  FIG. 8  may be used to block electrical current flow between conductive parts  300 - 304 ,  400 ,  402 ,  721 ,  801 - 808 ,  810 - 815  that may be part of the final mechanical structure being assembled. The non-conductive part  401 ,  720 ,  825  may be made from any material that does not conduct electrical current. The non-conductive part  401 ,  720 ,  825  may, however, be substantially identical mechanically to any conductive part  300 - 304 ,  400 ,  402 ,  721 ,  801 - 808 ,  810 - 815  used in the final mechanical structure. When a mechanical structure is built using the electro-mechanical parts described above, certain conductive paths  710 - 719 ,  809 ,  816  may also be created in the structure. Using conventional current techniques, it can be said that the electrical current path  710  may originate at the positive connector spring  513 ,  709  and may travel along the x-axis, then turn and travel along the z-axis. This electrical current  710  may split into two different currents, one  711  going in the +y axis toward switch S 1   705 , and the other  712  going in the +y axis toward switch S 2   706 . On the other side of switch S 1   705 , the current path  713  turns from the +y axis to the +x axis and goes to the light-emitting diode L 1   703 . After L 1   703 , the return current path  716  travels first along the +x axis then turns to travel along the −y axis. The current  716  is added to current  715  to produce the current  717 , which travels along the +z axis and turns to the −x axis to terminate at the power source  702 ,  500 . 
         [0028]    In a similar fashion, current  714  may go through the motor M 2   704  and may become current  715 . Current path  719  leaves the power source along the −x axis and quickly turns to the +z axis to enter switch S 3   707 . The current  718  leaving switch S 3   707  travels along the +z axis then turns and travels along the +x axis. This current  718  turns again on the −z axis and finally onto the −x axis to the negative end of the power source  702 ,  500 . Since there may be no components to limit the amount of current flow in the current path  719  into switch S 3   707 , or in the current path  718  from S 3   707  back to the power source  702 ,  500 , the closing of switch S 3   707  produces a short across the power source  702 ,  500 . This excessive current is handled as previously described to warn the user and limit the current levels to a safe value. 
         [0029]    When a mechanical structure is built using electro-mechanical parts, the shape of the parts may be blocks or bricks. Conductive paths  809 ,  816  may be created in the block or brick structure  800 , as shown in  FIG. 8 . Using conventional current techniques, it may be said that the electrical current path  816  originates at the positive connector of the power source  824  and travels through conductive blocks  810 - 815  to arrive at the motor module  817 . Block  815  makes contact to the motor  818  through a clip similar to the visible clip  819  shown on the other side of the motor module  817 . Electrical current passes through the motor  818  and leaves the motor module  817  through current path  809  that originates at block  801 . This current  809  travels through the conductive blocks  801 - 808  back to the negative side of the power source  824 . Block  808  has a cutout view of the corner to show how the conductive block  808  makes contact to the spring or clip  820  on the power source  824 . In this manner, the electrical current paths  809 ,  816  provide power to the motor  818  whenever the switch  822  turns on the power source  824 . If the closing of the switch  822  produces excessive current for any reason, the overload on the power source  824  is handled as previously described to warn the user and limit the current levels to a safe value. 
         [0030]    Although the mechanical structures  750 ,  800  have been shown using shapes similar to beams, blocks, or bricks, the structures are not limited to these shapes and could also have been rods, cylinders, star-shaped, L-shaped, and X-shaped, to name just a few. Accordingly, although the invention has been described by reference to a preferred embodiment, it is not intended that the novel electro-mechanical assembly be limited thereby, but that modifications thereof are intended to be included as falling within the broad scope and spirit of the forgoing disclosure, the following claims and the appended drawings.