Patent ID: 8109318

Claim:
A method of deploying a vehicular cover having an active material based actuator utilizing an external heat source spaced from the cover and actuator, said method comprising the steps of: a. securing the cover relative to the source such that at least a portion of the actuator is thermally coupled to the source, said at least portion presenting a first temperature; b. securing the cover relative to a space and/or surface; c. heating said at least portion with the heat source, so as to achieve a second temperature and cause a change in a physical property of the actuator; and d. deploying the cover as a result of the change when the second temperature is achieved, so as to modify the space and/or block access to the surface, wherein the actuator is communicatively coupled to at least one sensor and a controller cooperatively configured to selectively transmit data to the actuator, and step c) further includes the steps of autonomously deploying the cover only after receiving the data.