Deployable structure

Details Deployable structure Deployable structure

1998-10-13

2001-05-22

Friedman, Carl D. (Department: 3635)

Static structures (e.g., buildings)

Preassembled subenclosure or substructure section of unit or...

Collapsible for ease of transport

C052S081200, C052S245000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06233880

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a deployable structure which is tube-like to have a closed area, for example, in space, on the surface of the moon, on the earth, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
A tube-like structure having a side wall to create a closed area in space, as on the surface of the moon, the earth, or the like has been known. It is required that such a tube-like structure be deployable and packagable, for example, in point of transportation or the like. Some tube-like deployable structures have been proposed to satisfy the requirements above-described, in earlier technology. For example, a tube-like structure, the side wall of which enables deployment and packaging in a longitudinal direction, i.e., in a direction of a center axis of the tube-like structure, has been known.
However, the earlier tube-like structures enable deployment and packaging only in the longitudinal direction. That is, the earlier tube-like structure is not deployable in a lateral direction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been developed in view of the problem.
An object of the present invention is to provide a deployable structure, e.g., a tube-like deployable structure having folding patterns which enable deployment and packaging of the deployable structure in a large degree or with various additional effects.
In order to accomplish the above objects, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a deployable structure is provided which comprises a side wall having a plurality of segments which makes the side wall take on a tube-like shape, wherein the connecting creases of at least four adjacent segments are connected with one another at one point, and the folding patterns of the segments along the connecting creases have two patterns, one of which is a closing pattern to reduce an inner angle between connecting creases of segments adjacent in a circumferential direction of the side wall as accompanied with a folding in a direction of a central axis, the other of which is an opening pattern to enlarge the inner angle between connecting creases of segments adjacent in the circumferential direction of the side wall as accompanied with a folding in the direction of the central axis. The side wall can be deployed and packaged in both directions of the central axis and radius by folding the segments along the connecting creases thereof in the closing and opening patterns described. The side wall can therefore comprise a locus of a closed curve, moving along the central axis.
According to the deployable structure of the present invention, when the side wall is folded in the direction of the central axis, the side wall is also folded in the radial direction, i.e., a perpendicular direction against the central axis, by functions of the opening and closing patterns. As a result, because it is possible to carry out the three-dimensional deployment and packaging of the deployable structure, i.e., in the directions of the central axis and radius thereof , it is also possible to enlarge the degree of deployment and packaging of the deployable structure.
Therefore, it is possible to make use of space efficiently, for example, when the deployable structure is transported, or otherwise temporarily placed on a storage place.
The shape of the deployable structure may be cylindrical, which is in a plane, i.e., in a cross section approximately circular having a central axis which is a straight line, for example. However, it is not limited to this. The deployable structure may have another shape of, for example, a triangle, a polygon or the like in plane. The axis of the deployable structure may be a straight line, however, it is not limited to this, as the axis can be a curve or the like.
The segments may be folded in various combinations of patterns. For example, the segments may be folded in the closing pattern and the opening pattern alternately in the circumferential direction. The segments may be also folded by the opening pattern continuously and the closing pattern continuously without alternating with each other. The number of the opening pattern and the closing pattern may be different from each other.
The closing pattern and the opening pattern may be continued in the direction of the central axis, respectively. As a result, it is possible to smoothly fold the side wall as a whole.
The side wall may comprise modules of a determined number of segments which may be connected to one another in the direction of the central axis and the circumferential direction. A module can comprise four segments that is folded in closing pattern, and two segments adjacent in the circumferential direction can be approximately the same length in the circumferential direction. The module can be folded to have an angle so that both upper and lower ends of one side of the module, which is parallel with the central axis, may be approximately brought into contact with a center of the other side of the module, as viewed in the direction of the central axis when the deployable structure is in a folded state.
According to the deployable structure, in particular, it is possible to raise the efficiency of the packaging of the side wall as a whole, as described later. When the side wall is folded and packaged, projections form by folding of the modules, which is the same number of modules in the circumferential direction as arranged in radiated shape in plane. When the deployable structure is in most folded state in the direction of the central axis, the module can be folded to have an angle so that both upper and lower ends of one side of the module, which is parallel with the central axis, are approximately brought into contact with a center of the other side of the module, as viewed in the direction of the central axis. As a result, it is possible to shorten the length in the radial direction of the deployable structure.
Because the folding angle of the module can be an acute angle so that both upper and lower ends of one side of the module, which is parallel with the central axis, are approximately brought into contact with the center of the other side of the module, it is possible to minimize a length in the radial direction of the deployable structure. When both upper and lower ends of one side of the module are overlapped with the center of the other side of the module, the degree of the folding of the deployable structure can be reduced in the direction of the central axis. That is, both end portions of the module are already in the double overlapped state due to overlapping with the adjacent module in the circumferential direction, because both end portions of the module are connected with the adjacent module and folded in closing pattern. Accordingly, both end portions of the module will be in quadruple overlapped state, i.e., eight segments will be overlapped, when the folding angle of the module is more acute which makes both end portions of the module overlap each other. The difference of degree of the folding of the side wall between a case where the side wall has quadruple overlapping and a case where the side wall has double overlapping of the segments is twice in the direction of the central axis, because the segments have some thickness.
However, according to the deployable structure of the invention, because both end portions of the module may be not overlapped but are approximately brought into contact with each other as viewed in the direction of the central axis, the packaging efficiency of the deployable structure in the direction of the central axis is also raised. Therefore, the packaging efficiency of the deployable structure as a whole in the three dimensional point of view is raised the most.
The module may comprise a portion wherein the first to third segments successively connected in the circumferential direction are connected to each other to make two rows along the circumferential direction of the side wall. In this case, the module may be folded in the closing pattern between the first segment and the second segm

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