权利要求：
CLAIMS
1s A building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) for a mechanical construction, the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) comprising a first printed material (110, 210, 310) printed via an additive manufacturing process on or at least partially embedded in a second material (120, 260, 265, 320), wherein the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is printed in a pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) configured and constructed for cooperating with a sensor (140, 240, 340) for providing, in use, position information of the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) relative to the sensor (140, 240, 340).
2 The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) is constituted of the second material (120, 260, 265, 320) being second printed material (120, 260, 265, 320) printed via an additive manufacturing process.
3. The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first printed material (110, 210, 310):
comprises magnetic particles for cooperating with a magnetic sensor (240,
340),
constitutes a reflective pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) for cooperating with an
optical sensor (140),
constitutes a contrasting pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) relative to the second
material (120, 260, 265, 320) for cooperating with an optical sensor (140),
constitutes an opaque pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) surrounded by the
second material (120, 260, 265, 320) constituting a reflective surface for
cooperating with the optical sensor (140),
constitutes a transmissive pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) surrounded by the
second material (120, 260, 265, 320) being opaque for cooperating with the
optical sensor (140), or
constitutes an opaque pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) surrounded by the
second material (120, 260, 265, 320) being transmissive for cooperating
with the optical sensor (140).
4. The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is completely embedded in the second printed material (120, 260, 265, 320), or wherein the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is covered by a third material.
5. The building block (100, 230, 280, 280, 330, 350) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is configured and constructed for generating a block-wave signal () at the sensor (140, 240, 340) during a relative movement, or wherein the pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is configured and constructed for generating a sinusoidal-wave signal at the sensor (140, 240, 340) during the relative movement, or wherein the pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) is configured and constructed for generating a saw- tooth signal at the sensor (140, 240, 340) during the relative movement.
6. The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) comprises a first pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) for providing a first signal to the sensor (140, 240, 340) and a second pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) different from the first pattern (112, 114, 212, 312) for providing a second signal to the sensor (140, 240, 340) different from the first signal.
7 The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the previous claims, the first printed material and/or the second printed material is chosen from a list comprising metals, ceramics, polymers, elastomer and their combination in composite materials.
8. The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the claims 2 to 7, wherein an interface between the first printed material (110, 210, 310) and the second printed material (112, 114, 212, 312) comprises a functionally graded interface layer, a composition of the functionally graded interface layer is configured to gradually change from the first printed material (110, 210, 310) via a mixture of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) and the second printed material (112, 114, 212, 312) to the second printed material (112, 114, 212, 312).
9. The building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the previous claims, wherein the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) is
an inner ring (280) for a bearing (200, 205),
an outer ring (290) for the bearing (200, 205),
a seal (230) of the bearing (200, 205),
an traveling unit (330) for an actuator (300),
an encoder disc for an angular sensor, or
a gear wheel (100).
10. A bearing (200, 205) comprising the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the previous claims.
nl: An actuator system (300) comprising the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the claims 1 to 9.
12. A gear box (150) comprising the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the claims 1 to 9.
13. A system (130) for measuring a relative position of a building block relative to a sensor, the system (130) comprising the building block according to any of the claims 1 to 9 and a sensor (140, 240, 340) configured for interacting with the pattern of the first printed material (110, 210, 310) for providing, in use, position information of the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) relative to the sensor (140, 240, 340).
14. A method of producing the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) according to any of the claims 1 to 9 when the first printed material (110, 210, 310) comprises magnetic particles, wherein the step of producing the building block (100, 230, 280, 290, 330, 350) comprises a step of:
adding the first printed material (110, 210, 310) to the second material (120,
260, 265, 320) via the additive manufacturing process under the influence
of a predefined magnetic field.