COLLAPSIBLE LONGERON STRUCTURES
Embodiments of the invention are directed toward rollable and collapsible structures. These structures, for example, can include a plurality of tubular longerons with a slit or gap that extends along the longitudinal length of the longerons. Such longerons can be combined in an arrangement that creates a structure. The structure can be collapsed and the longerons rolled either singularly or as a group into a stowed configuration.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/036,199, filed Feb. 28, 2011, entitled “Deployable Structures Having Collapsible Structural Members”, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/014,299 filed Jan. 26, 2011, entitled “Collapsible Structures With Adjustable Forms”, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein for all purposes.
BACKGROUNDPortable structures that can be deployed and stowed come in a number of configurations and can be used in a number of ways. Tents, for example, can be stowed in a compact form and set up or deployed for a variety of uses.
BRIEF SUMMARYEmbodiments of the invention include tubular longerons that can have a deployed and a stowed state. In the stowed state one or more tubular longerons can be rolled into a single roll. In the deployed state, one or more tubular longerons can be extended and formed into a structure. This longeron structure, for example, can be an A-frame-shaped structure. Embodiments of the invention can provide large, usable structures that can be combined and/or stowed in a small stowed configuration.
The terms “invention,” “the invention,” “this invention” and “the present invention” used in this patent are intended to refer broadly to all of the subject matter of this patent and the patent claims below. Statements containing these terms should not be understood to limit the subject matter described herein or to limit the meaning or scope of the patent claims below. Embodiments of the invention covered by this patent are defined by the claims below, not this summary. This summary is a high-level overview of various aspects of the invention and introduces some of the concepts that are further described in the Detailed Description section below. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to the entire specification of this patent, all drawings and each claim.
Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawing figures:
The subject matter of embodiments of the present invention is described here with specificity to meet statutory requirements, but this description is not necessarily intended to limit the scope of the claims. The claimed subject matter may be embodied in other ways, may include different elements or steps, and may be used in conjunction with other existing or future technologies. This description should not be interpreted as implying any particular order or arrangement among or between various steps or elements except when the order of individual steps or arrangement of elements is explicitly described.
Embodiments of the invention employ various longerons to create longeron structures. These longerons can have a number of configurations. For example, the longerons disclosed herein can be constructed such that they may be flattened and rolled for stowage. The longerons can regain their original cross-section during deployment. The disclosed longerons typically include a long tube with one or more slits or gaps that extend through the longitudinal length of the longeron. The slits may allow the tube to be flattened and rolled. When rolled, the longerons can be stacked or combined and collectively rolled together. The longerons may be constructed from any type of composite material that may, for example, include metal, graphite, or polymer.
Embodiments of the invention include deployable and stowable longeron structures constructed from these longerons. When deployed, these longeron structures can be standalone longeron structures and/or can be used as a tent and/or a longeron structure that is coupled with solar arrays. A plurality or all of these longerons can be embedded within each other and rolled up into a single stowed configuration. In some embodiments, each longeron can be rolled into separate stowed configurations.
For added flexural properties the longerons may have some curvature much like a carpenter's tape. Longerons may also be stiffened by another mechanism such as a sandwich panel that can be collapsed for stowage.
Longeron 100 can include three states: a rolled state, a deployed state, and a resting state.
Main longeron 200 can include three states: a rolled state, a deployed state, and a resting state.
First longeron 212 and second longeron 214 can be rotated around 215 in either direction along the length of longeron 200 either toward the interior of longeron 200 or away from the interior of longeron 200.
In some embodiments of the invention longeron structures can include multiple longerons like those shown in
On both longitudinal ends cross member longeron 610 is coupled with two separates leg longerons: leg longeron 620 and leg longeron 622 on one end as well as leg longeron 624 and leg longeron 626 on the other end. Each leg longeron comprises a slit-tube longeron with a diameter smaller than the diameter of cross member longeron 610 and a slit or gap along the longitudinal length of the leg longeron. In some embodiments slit 605 can correspond with gap 606 that separates the two legs on each end.
In some embodiments, cross member longeron 610 can have portions that have diameters that reduce from the larger diameter of cross member longeron 610 to a smaller diameter. In other embodiments, the leg longerons can have portions that have diameters that increase from the smaller diameter of the leg longeron to a larger diameter to couple with cross member longeron 610.
While complex longeron 600 includes five longerons: cross member 610 and leg longerons 620, 622, 624, and 626; any number of longerons can be used. These longerons can be coupled together using any number of techniques. For example, the longerons can comprise composite materials and can be coupled together using any composite binding techniques known in the art. As another example, the longerons can be fabricated together as a single unitary longeron structure using composite fabrication techniques.
Complex longeron 600 can be flattened and rolled into a stowed configuration; each individual longeron can be flattened and rolled together as a group into a single stowed roll.
In some embodiments of the invention, longerons can have complex shapes. For example, longerons can have cross-sectional shapes that vary along the length of the longeron. As another example, longerons can have thicknesses that vary along the length of the longeron.
Longeron structures can have any number of cross members and/or legs and can come in a variety of configurations. One example of such a longeron structure is shown in
In some embodiments, the various longerons making up a collapsible structure may have different diameters and/or lengths. Moreover, the various longerons can have variable diameters, thickness, etc. These longerons may also be comprised of different material. Moreover, stakes and/or tethers can be sued to secure the structures to the ground.
In some embodiments longeron structures can include feet positioned at the end of any of the longeron structures. These feet can be longerons or other material. In some embodiments the longeron structures can include a grommet that can be used in conjunction with a stake to secure the longeron structure to the ground. The grommet can be disposed with the feet, be part of a strap, or be included in the longeron.
Different arrangements of the components depicted in the drawings or described above, as well as components and steps not shown or described are possible. Similarly, some features and subcombinations are useful and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. Embodiments of the invention have been described for illustrative and not restrictive purposes, and alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this patent. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above or depicted in the drawings, and various embodiments and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the claims below.
Claims
1. A longeron structure comprising:
- a tubular longeron having a first end, a second end, and a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, wherein the tubular longeron includes a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the tubular longeron from the first end to the second end, a first slit at the first end extending a long a portion of the longitudinal length of the tubular longeron, and a second slit at the second end extending a long a portion of the longitudinal length of the tubular longeron.
2. The longeron structure according to claim 1, wherein the longeron structure comprises a rolled configuration wherein the tubular longeron is rolled along the longitudinal length of the tubular longeron.
3. The longeron structure according to claim 1, wherein the longeron structure comprises a deployed configuration wherein the tubular longeron is bent at the first slit.
4. The longeron structure according to claim 3, wherein the longeron forms two legs when the tubular longeron is split at the first slit.
5. The longeron structure according to claim 1, wherein the longeron structure comprises a deployed configuration wherein the tubular longeron is split at the second slit.
6. The longeron structure according to claim 5, wherein the tubular longeron forms two legs when the longeron is split at the second slit.
7. The longeron structure according to claim 1, wherein the tubular longeron is curved along the longitudinal length of the longeron.
8. The longeron structure according to claim 1, wherein the tubular longeron comprises a cross section that varies along the longitudinal length of the tubular longeron.
9. A longeron structure comprising:
- a main tubular longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end; and
- a first tubular longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end,
- wherein the longitudinal length of the first tubular longeron is shorter than the longitudinal length of the main tubular longeron, and
- wherein the second end of the first tubular longeron is coupled with the main tubular longeron at a first couple point such that the first tubular longeron can rotate about the couple point.
10. The longeron structure according to claim 9, wherein the longeron structure comprises a rolled configuration wherein the main tubular longeron and the first tubular longeron are rolled along the longitudinal length of the longerons.
11. The longeron structure according to claim 9, wherein the longeron structure comprises a deployed configuration wherein the first tubular longeron and a portion of the main tubular longeron form two legs.
12. The longeron structure according to claim 9, wherein the longitudinal length of the first tubular longeron is less than half the longitudinal length of the main tubular longeron.
13. The longeron structure according to claim 9, further comprising a shear member coupling the first tubular longeron with the main tubular longeron.
14. The longeron structure according to claim 13, wherein the shear member comprises a strap or a photovoltaic sheet.
15. The longeron structure according to claim 9, further comprising:
- a second tubular longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end,
- wherein the longitudinal length of the second tubular longeron is shorter than the longitudinal length of the main tubular longeron, and
- wherein the second end of the first tubular longeron is coupled with the main tubular longeron at a second couple point such that the first tubular longeron can rotate about the couple point.
16. The longeron structure according to claim 15, wherein the longeron structure comprises a rolled configuration wherein the main tubular longeron, the first tubular longeron, and the second tubular longeron are rolled along the longitudinal length of the longerons.
17. The longeron structure according to claim 15, wherein the longeron structure comprises a deployed configuration wherein the second tubular longeron and a portion of the main tubular longeron form two legs.
18. The longeron structure according to claim 15, further comprising a strap coupling the second tubular longeron with the main tubular longeron.
19. A longeron structure comprising:
- a first longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end, wherein the first longeron includes a first attachment mechanism near the first end and a second attachment mechanism near the second end;
- a second longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end, wherein the second longeron includes a third attachment mechanism positioned between the first end and the second end of the second longeron and configured to couple with first attachment mechanism; and
- a third longeron having a first end, a second end, a longitudinal length extending from the first end to the second end, and a gap extending along the longitudinal length of the longeron from the first end to the second end, wherein the third longeron includes a fourth attachment mechanism positioned between the first end and the second end of the third longeron and configured to couple with second attachment mechanism.
20. The longeron structure according to claim 19, wherein the first, second, third and fourth attachment mechanisms comprise a snap, Velcro, carabineers, etc.
21. The longeron structure according to claim 19, further comprising a shear member coupling at least two of the first longeron, the second longeron, and the third longeron.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 18, 2012
Publication Date: Jul 25, 2013
Applicant: Composite Technology Development, Inc. (Lafayette, CO)
Inventors: Philip N. Keller (Longmont, CO), Robert Taylor (Superior, CO), Adam Gray (Castle Rock, CO), Doug Richardson (Westminster, CO), Mark Reavis (Berthoud, CO)
Application Number: 13/552,544
International Classification: E04H 12/00 (20060101);