Deployable boom and deployable boom with solar blanket

A deployable boom structure comprising:

• three tape longerons, each of the three tape longerons having a first terminal end, a second terminal end that is separated from the first terminal end, a first lateral edge that extends from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, and a second lateral edge that extends from the first terminal end to the second terminal end and is separated from the first lateral edge;
• three battens with each of the three battens operatively engaging the three tape longerons and defining a plane;
• a plurality of diagonals with each diagonal operatively connected to two of the three battens and capable of being folded when the plurality of diagonals are in the undeployed state;
• a drive mechanism for transitioning the three tape longerons, the three battens, and the plurality of diagonals between an undeployed state and a deployed state in which:
• (a) a linearly extending portion of each of the three tape longerons extends linearly and substantially parallel to the linearly extending portion of each of the other three tape longerons, and separated from the linearly extending portion of each of the other three tape longerons such that the first and second lateral edges of the linearly extending portion do not directly contact the first or second edges of the linearly extending portion of either of the other two tape longerons;
• (b) each of the three battens extends substantially perpendicular to the linearly extending portions of the three tape longerons;
• and
• (c) each of the three battens is separated from an immediately adjacent one of the three battens by a predetermined distance;
• and
• (d) each of the plurality of diagonals extends in a straight line between the two battens to which the diagonal is connected when the distance between the two battens is substantially equal to the predetermined distance, the straight line being at an acute angle to the plane of each of the two battens;
• wherein the drive mechanism includes three tape cassettes with each tape cassette adapted to store and dispense one of the three tape longerons, an electric motor with a drive shaft, and a transmission system for transmitting rotational force produced by the electric motor to the three tape cassettes;
• wherein each of the tape cassettes is adapted to store a first portion of one of the three tape longerons in a full Archimedean spiral roll when the tape is in an undeployed state, the first portion of each of the three tape longerons in the full Archimedean spiral roll being bounded by a first plane that is tangent to the full Archimedean spiral roll and perpendicular to the linearly extending portion of the tape longeron when the tape longeron is in the deployed state and a second plane tangent to the full Archimedean spiral roll, parallel to the first plane, and separated from the first plane;
• wherein each tape cassette is adapted to store a wheel that rotates about a drive axle and contacts a second portion of the tape longeron that is not disposed in the Archimedean spiral roll, the wheel and the drive axle both located between the first and second planes, and the drive axle located substantially parallel to the first and second planes;
• wherein the electric motor and drive shaft being located between the first and second planes associated with one of the three tape cassettes, the drive shaft having an axis of rotation that is parallel to the first and second planes and perpendicular to the drive axle of the wheel of the one of the three tape cassettes;
• wherein the transmission system for transmitting rotational force produced by the electric motor includes first and second transmission axles with a u-joint connected to each end of each of the first and second axles.

A deployable boom structure comprising:

• three tape longerons, each of the three tape longerons having a first terminal end, a second terminal end that is separated from the first terminal end, a first lateral edge that extends from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, a second lateral edge that extends from the first terminal end to the second terminal end and is separated from the first lateral edge, a first face that extends from the first lateral to the second lateral edge and from the first terminal end to the second terminal end, and a second face that is separated from the first face and extends from the first lateral edge to the second lateral edge and from the first terminal end to the second terminal end;
• three battens with each of the three battens operatively engaging the three tape longerons and defining a plane;
• a plurality of diagonals with each diagonal operatively connected to two of the three battens and capable of being folded when the plurality of diagonals are in an undeployed state;
• a drive mechanism for transitioning the three tape longerons, the three battens, and the plurality of diagonals between an undeployed state and a deployed state in which:
• (a) a portion of each of the three tape longerons extends linearly and substantially parallel to the linearly extending portion of each of the other three tape longerons, and separated from the linearly extending portion of each of the other three tape longerons such that the first and second lateral edges of the linearly extending portion do not directly contact the first or second edges of the linearly extending portion of either of the other two tape longerons;
• (b) each of the three battens extends substantially perpendicular to the linearly extending portions of the three tape longerons;
• (c) each of the three battens is separated from an immediately adjacent one of the three battens by a predetermined distance;
• and
• (d) each of the plurality of diagonals extends in a straight line between the two battens to which the diagonal is connected when the distance between the two battens is substantially equal to the predetermined distance, the straight line being at an acute angle to the plane of each of the two battens;
• a flex circuit operatively connected to two of the three battens, the flex circuit having:
• (a) a flexible, plastic substrate capable of being folded when in an undeployed state and having an extent such that the flex circuit can function as one of the plurality of diagonals in the deployed state and (b) a conductive pattern associated with the flexible, plastic substrate for conducting an electrical signal between the two battens.