Apparatus for branched scissor linkage and associated auxetic mechanisms
AssigneeThe Board of Regents for Oklahoma State University
InventorsHenry Segerman, William Segerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
According to one embodiment, there is taught herein a family of “branched” variants of the traditional scissor mechanism, in which each stage is formed from more than two arms, joined at their midpoints by a branched rivet. In one embodiment arms in adjacent stages are joined at their endpoints with joints that allow for rotation in a single plane. Each resulting mechanism has one degree of freedom in its motion. It deploys from a compact, collapsed state to an extended state. One embodiment is a grasping member that is mechanically coupled to a scissor mechanism so that when scissor mechanism is collapsed the grasping member is open. Then, when the scissor mechanism is extended the grasping member becomes closed.
Claims13
A scissor mechanism, comprising:
- (a) a branched rivet containing three or more radially projecting coplanar protrusions spaced apart around a perimeter of said branched rivet, each of said three or more radially projecting coplanar protrusions having a single arm rotatably mounted thereon,
- each of said arms being of equal length,
- each of said arms being rotatable about said protrusion in a single plane,
- each of said arms is rotatably mounted on one of said protrusions at a midpoint of said arm, and,
- each of said arms has
- an orthogonally extending rod attached proximate to an upper end of said arm and
- an orthogonally extending sleeve attached proximate to a lower end of said arm, said rod and said sleeve extending in a direction parallel to each other.
A scissor mechanism, comprising:
- (a) a first branched rivet containing three or more radially projecting coplanar first protrusions spaced apart around a perimeter of said branched rivet, each of said first protrusions having a single first arm rotatably mounted thereon, wherein
- each of said first arms is a same first length,
- each of said first arms is rotatable in a single first plane about said first protrusion,
- each of said first arms has
- a first orthogonally extending rod attached proximate to a first upper end of said first arm and
- a first orthogonally extending sleeve attached proximate to a first lower end of said first arm, said first rod and said first sleeve extending in a direction parallel to each other;
- (b) a second branched rivet situated below said first rivet containing a same number of radially projecting coplanar second protrusions as a number of said first protrusions, said second protrusions being spaced apart around a perimeter of said second branched rivet, wherein
- each of said second protrusions has a single second arm rotatably mounted thereon, each of said second arms rotating about a designated one of said second protrusions in a single second plane,
- each of said second arms being of a second equal length, and
- each of said second arms
- having a second orthogonally extending rod proximate to an upper end of said second arm, said second rod rotatably mated with a corresponding first sleeve attached to one of said first arms.
A scissor mechanism, comprising:
- (a) an upper branched rivet containing three or more radially projecting coplanar upper protrusions spaced apart around a perimeter of said upper branched rivet;
- (b) a same number of upper arms as a number of said upper protrusions, each of said upper protrusions having a single one of said upper arms rotatably mounted thereon, wherein
- each of said upper arms is a same upper length,
- each of said upper arms rotates in a single upper plane about one of said upper protrusions,
- each of said upper arms has an orthogonally extending upper rod attached proximate to a lower end of each of said upper arms;
- (c) a lower branched rivet situated below said upper branched rivet and containing a same number of radially projecting coplanar lower protrusions as a number of said three or more upper protrusions, said lower protrusions being spaced apart around a perimeter of said lower branched rivet;
- (d) a same number of lower arms as a number of said lower protrusions, each of said lower protrusions having a single one of said lower arms rotatably mounted thereon, wherein
- each of said lower arms is a same lower length,
- each of said lower arms rotates in a single lower plane about one of said lower protrusions,
- each of said lower arms has an orthogonally extending lower sleeve situated proximate to an upper end of said lower arm, said lower sleeve being rotatably mated with a corresponding upper rod attached to one of said upper arms.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.