초록 ▼

Reversibly expandable structures are formed from loop assemblies comprising interconnected pairs of polygonal shaped links. Each loop assembly has polygon links with at least three pivot joints and at least some of the polygon links have more than three pivot joints. Additionally, these links lie es

Reversibly expandable structures are formed from loop assemblies comprising interconnected pairs of polygonal shaped links. Each loop assembly has polygon links with at least three pivot joints and at least some of the polygon links have more than three pivot joints. Additionally, these links lie essentially on the surface of the structure or parallel to the plane of the surface of the structure. Each polygon link has a center pivot joint for connecting to another link to form a link pair. Each link also has at least one internal pivot joint and one perimeter pivot joint. The internal pivot joints are used for connecting link pairs to adjacent link pairs to form a loop assembly. Loop assemblies can be joined together and/or to other link pairs through the perimeter pivot joints to form structures. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention link pairs may be connected to adjacent link pairs in a loop assembly through hub elements that are connected at the respective internal pivot joints of the two link pairs. Similarly hubs elements can be used to connect loop assemblies together or loop assemblies to other link pairs through the perimeter pivot joints. In yet another embodiment of the present invention the pivot joints can be designed as living hinges.

대표청구항 ▼

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A reversibly expandable loop assembly comprising:a plurality of links having a polygonal profile with three or more corners, a center pivot joint and a plurality of corner pivot joints, each of at least two of said plurality of corner pivot joints proximate to at least tw

[ What is claimed is:] [1.] A reversibly expandable loop assembly comprising:a plurality of links having a polygonal profile with three or more corners, a center pivot joint and a plurality of corner pivot joints, each of at least two of said plurality of corner pivot joints proximate to at least two of said three or more corners, respectively, said plurality of corner pivot joints comprising at least one internal corner pivot joint and at least one perimeter corner pivot joint proximately located to the outer edge of said loop assembly;each of said plurality of links connected to another one of said plurality of links at said center pivot joint thereby forming a link pair, said loop assembly comprising at least three link pairs;each of said at least three link pairs connected to at least two other link pairs, through at least one of said internal corner pivot joints;wherein said loop assembly has a unique polygon perimeter outline comprising a ring of line-segments, each line segment comprised of a line which intersects two perimeter corner joints of one of said link pairs, said line segments being equivalent in number to the number of link pairs in said loop assembly; andwherein the angle formed between any two line-segments corresponding to a particular two link pairs in a given position of the loop assembly, is the same as the similarly formed angle between the line segments corresponding to the same two link pairs for any other position of the loop assembly, whereby the size of the ring of line-segments increases with expansion of said loop assembly and decreases with retraction of said loop assembly.