Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Deployable mast structure
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Application No.: US16348329Application Date: 2017-11-08
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Publication No.: US10738498B2Publication Date: 2020-08-11
- Inventor: Juan Reveles , Vincent Fraux , Yoshiro Ogi
- Applicant: Oxford Space Systems Limited
- Applicant Address: GB Harwell Oxford Didcot
- Assignee: OXFORD SPACE SYSTEMS LTD
- Current Assignee: OXFORD SPACE SYSTEMS LTD
- Current Assignee Address: GB Harwell Oxford Didcot
- Agency: Umberg Zipser LLP
- Priority: com.zzzhc.datahub.patent.etl.us.BibliographicData$PriorityClaim@60d6f67e
- International Application: PCT/GB2017/053359 WO 20171108
- International Announcement: WO2018/087538 WO 20180517
- Main IPC: E04H12/18
- IPC: E04H12/18 ; E04H12/02 ; B29C70/30 ; E04H12/34 ; B29C70/54 ; H01Q1/28 ; B29C70/44 ; B64G1/22 ; B29K63/00 ; B29K307/04 ; B29L31/34 ; H01Q1/12

Abstract:
A deployable mast structure (100) is disclosed, comprising a body configured to adopt a tubular shape when the mast structure is in a deployed configuration, and a plurality of openings (102) formed in a wall of the body so as to define a plurality of integral tape-spring hinges (103) in the wall of the body, the plurality of openings being configured so as to permit the body to collapse along its longitudinal axis into a stowed configuration when the tape-spring hinges are buckled. In the stowed configuration, the integral tape-spring hinges are configured to exert a force which urges the structure towards the deployed configuration. Since the mast structure collapses along its longitudinal axis, the structure only occupies a small volume in the stowed configuration. A method of fabricating the deployable mast structure from a layered composite material is also disclosed.
Public/Granted literature
- US20190277051A1 Deployable Mast Structure Public/Granted day:2019-09-12
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