System and method for micromechanical logical and gate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11604489-B2
Application number	US-202117331107-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2021
Priority date	May 26, 2021
Publication date	Mar 14, 2023
Grant date	Mar 14, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a mechanical AND-gate logic system that may make use of a first and second lever arms, a first pivot linkage coupling the lever arms, an output member, and a second pivot linkage coupling the second lever arm to the output member. The first lever arm has first and second spaced apart ends for independently receiving separate logic level 1 or logic level 0 input signals thereon, and an output end spaced apart from the first and second input ends. The output end is disposed generally equidistant from the first and second spaced apart ends. The second lever arm has an input end and an output end and can move in both pivoting and translating movements. The first pivot linkage couples the output end of the first lever arm to the input end of the second lever arm such that both the input end and the output end of the second lever arm are able to either pivot and or to translate. The second lever arm is only able to translate and apply a logic 1 level input signal to the output member, to thus generate a logic 1 level output signal, when a logic level 1 input signal is applied simultaneously to both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanical AND-gate logic system, comprising:
a first lever arm having first and second spaced apart input ends for independently receiving separate logic level 1 or logic level 0 input signals thereon;
the first lever arm further including an output end spaced apart from the first and second input ends, the output end further being disposed generally equidistant from the first and second spaced apart ends;
a second lever arm having an input end and an output end, and being able to move in both a pivotal movement and a translating movement;
a first pivot linkage to couple the output end of the first lever arm to the input end of the second lever arm such that both the input end and the output end of the second lever arm are able to pivot and to translate;
an output member translatable between first and second positions;
the output end of the second lever arm being coupled to the output member via a second pivot linkage; and
the second lever arm only being able to substantially translate and apply a logic 1 level input signal to the output member when a logic level 1 input signal is applied simultaneously to both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm, and wherein translating movement of the second lever arm causes the output member to translate from the first position to the second position, representing changing from a logic 0 level state to a logic 1 level state.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second lever arms are longitudinally aligned along a straight line when logic 0 level input signals are applied to both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second lever arms extend along non-parallel longitudinal axes when a logic 1 level signal is applied to only one of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second lever arms both pivot when a logic level 1 level signal is applied to only one of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second lever arm only experiences translating movement when:
one of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm receives a logic 1 level signal while a logic 1 level signal is already being applied to the other one of the first and second input ends; and
when a logic 1 level signal is removed from one of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm while the other one of the first and second input ends continues to receive a logic 1 level input signal.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first lever arm forms an inverted “V” shape, with the first and second input ends located at two ends of the inverted V shape.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein a differential stiffness of the system is set to absorb about 15% of a pulse energy applied by input signals representing logic level 1 signals on both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

8. A mechanical AND-gate logic system, comprising:
a first lever arm having first and second spaced apart input ends for independently receiving separate logic level 1 or logic level 0 input signals thereon;
the first lever arm further including a output end spaced apart from the first and second input ends, the output end further being disposed generally equidistant from the first and second spaced apart ends;
a second lever arm forming a linear member having an input end and an output end, and being able to move in both a pivotal movement and a translating movement;
a first pivot linkage to couple the output end of the first lever arm to the input end of the second lever arm such that both the input end and the output end of the second lever arm are able to pivot and to translate;
a compressive stiffness member having an input end and an output end, and being translatable between first and second positions, and configured to apply a biasing force sufficient to prevent movement from the first position to the second position except when logic 1 level signals are being applied simultaneously to both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm;
the output end of the second lever arm being coupled to the input end of the compressive stiffness member by a second pivot linkage;
the second lever arm only being able to translate and apply a logic 1 level input signal to the input end of the compressive stiffness member when a logic level 1 input signal is applied simultaneously to both of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm, and wherein translating movement of the second lever arm causes the compressive stiffness member to translate from the first position to the second position, representing changing from a logic 0 level state to a logic 1 level state; and
the biasing force generated by the compressive stiffness member being sufficient to cause translating and pivoting motion of both of the first and second lever arms when a logic 1 level input signal is removed from either of the first and second input ends of the first lever arm, to thus enable the compressive stiffness member to translate from a logic 1 level state back to a logic 0 level state.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein translating movement of the second lever arm sufficient to cause movement of the compressive stiffness member from the logic 0 level state to the logic 1 level state only occurs when simultaneously applying logic 1 level signals to the first and second input ends of the first lever arm.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein both input and output ends of the second lever arm pivot simultaneously, with no translating movement of the second lever arm, when a logic 1 level input signal is applied to only one of the first and second inputs of the first lever arm.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein a logic 1 level input signal applied to only one of the first and second ends of the first lever arm causes simultaneous pivoting movement of both of the first and second lever arms in opposite rotational directions.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the second lever arm pivots when only one of the first and second ends of the first lever arm receives a logic 1 level input signal, but does not translate.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the output end of the first lever arm, the input and output ends of the second lever arm and the input end of the compressive stiffness member are all required to be aligned along a common longitudinal axis for the compressive stiffness member to translate fully into the second position from the first position.

14. A method for forming a mechanical AND-gate logic system, the method comprising:
providing a first lever arm having first and second spaced apart input ends for independently receiving separate logic level 1 or logic level 0 input signals thereon;
configuring the first lever arm such that an output end thereof is spaced apart from the first and second input ends, the output end further being disposed generally equidistant from the first and second spaced apart ends;
using a first pivot linkage to couple the output end of the first lever arm to an input end of a second lever arm, and such that the second lever arm is able to move with both a pivotal movement at each of its input and output ends, and also a translating movement;
coupling an output member translatable between first and second positions to the output end of the second lever arm via a second pivot linkage; and
the second lever arm only being able to translate and apply a logic 1 level input signal to the output member when a logic level 1 input signal is applied simultaneousl

Assignees

• L Livermore Nat Security Llc

Inventors

• Panas Robert Matthew
• Sun Frederick

Classifications

• F16H21/44 Primary

  for conveying or interconverting oscillating or reciprocating motions · CPC title

• G05G11/00 Primary

  Manually-actuated control mechanisms provided with two or more controlling members co-operating with one single controlled member · CPC title

• F16H21/02

  the movements of two or more independently-moving members being combined into a single movement · CPC title