Patents by Inventor Wei-Chang Adam WANG

Wei-Chang Adam WANG has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Method of actuation using knit-constrained pneumatics
    Patent number: 11519432
    Abstract: A pneumatic textile system capable of transforming from a two-dimensional structure to a three-dimensional structure under pneumatic pressure is provided. The pneumatic textile system includes a seamless knit fabric having a grid configuration defining a plurality of grid areas—a first of the plurality of grid areas having a tensile strength that is different from a second of the plurality of grid areas. A pneumatic bladder member is disposed along at least a portion of a boundary between adjacent ones of the plurality of grid areas and is inflatable to exert a force on the seamless knit fabric, wherein upon inflation of the pneumatic bladder member the force is exerted on the seamless knit fabric such that the first of the plurality of grid area assumes a shape different than the second of the plurality of grid areas resulting in a three-dimensional structure transformation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Wei-Chang Adam Wang, Sean Ahlquist
  • A METHOD OF ACTUATION USING KNIT-CONSTRAINED PNEUMATICS
    Publication number: 20220003251
    Abstract: A pneumatic textile system capable of transforming from a two-dimensional structure to a three-dimensional structure under pneumatic pressure is provided. The pneumatic textile system includes a seamless knit fabric having a grid configuration defining a plurality of grid areas—a first of the plurality of grid areas having a tensile strength that is different from a second of the plurality of grid areas. A pneumatic bladder member is disposed along at least a portion of a boundary between adjacent ones of the plurality of grid areas and is inflatable to exert a force on the seamless knit fabric, wherein upon inflation of the pneumatic bladder member the force is exerted on the seamless knit fabric such that the first of the plurality of grid area assumes a shape different than the second of the plurality of grid areas resulting in a three-dimensional structure transformation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2018
    Publication date: January 6, 2022
    Applicants: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
    Inventors: Wei-Chang Adam WANG, Sean AHLQUIST