DEPLOYABLE TRUSS WITH ORTHOGONALLY-HINGED PRIMARY CHORDS

摘要

A deployable truss with modified primary orthogonal joints. The construction of these joints causes the center-hinged primary chords on opposite sides of a truss bay to fold inward in a plane orthogonal to the folding planes of the side diagonals while the two secondary chords fold in planes orthogonal to the plane of the in-folding primary chords. This provides for stiffness and stability during deploy and retract. The unique joint configuration permits the truss to deploy one bay at a time in a stable manner while having lateral bending stiffness, and the truss thus can extend and retract in a sequential manner. It can deploy integral flat panels nested between the secondary folding chords, or use cross bracing in lieu of panels. The truss can be triangular, square or rectangular in cross-section. A powered support frame may be used in conjunction with the truss.

主权项

1. A deployable truss, comprising:
at least two primary chords, said primary chords comprising a plurality of primary chordal members connected end-to-end by alternating primary orthogonal joints and primary chord center-hinge joints; at least one secondary chord, said secondary chord comprising a plurality of secondary chordal members connected end-to-end by alternating secondary orthogonal joints and secondary chord center hinge-joints; a plurality of fixed-length diagonal members, each with a first end and a second end, the first end jointedly connected to an primary orthogonal joint, and the second end jointedly connected to a secondary orthogonal joint; and a support frame with two parallel side rails, wherein said primary orthogonal joints are supported within said side rails.