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US 12,409,953 B2Granted
Connection assembly
AssigneeL'Garde, Inc.
InventorsBryan Yamamoto, Nathaniel Barnes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Exemplary embodiments provided herein include connection systems in which a gripper is actuated through introduction of a material to an interior cavity. Embodiments may include more than one cavity such that deployment and actuation may be separately controlled. Additional cavities may also be used and/or selection of valves between cavities such that actuation and/or deployment may further be controlled.
Claims20
A connection system, comprising:
- one or more booms, each of the one or more booms comprising a first inelastic material defining a first inflatable cavity and a second inelastic material defining a second inflatable cavity wherein the first inflatable cavity is separately inflatable from the second inflatable cavity;
- a first attachment point on an exterior surface of the first inelastic material defining the first inflatable cavity;
- a third attachment point on the exterior surface of the first inelastic material defining the first inflatable cavity, wherein the third attachment point is separated from the first attachment point by a first material distance along the exterior surface of the first inelastic material;
- a second attachment point on an exterior surface of the second inelastic material defining the second inflatable cavity;
- and
- a fourth attachment point on the exterior surface of the second inelastic material defining the second inflatable cavity, wherein the fourth attachment point is separated from the second attachment point by a second material distance along the exterior surface of the second inelastic material, wherein the first length is less than the second length,
- wherein the first inelastic material attaches to the second inelastic material at the first attachment point to the second attachment point and the third attachment point to the fourth attachment point,
- wherein the one or more booms are configured to have a stored configuration in which one or more booms are in a retracted orientation, a deployed configuration in which one or more booms are in an extended orientation, and a closed configuration in which the one or more booms are deformed from the extended position by imposing a force on the first and third attachment points to push the first and third attachment points away from each other, and
- wherein the first inelastic material of the first inflatable cavity is coupled to the second inelastic material of the second inflatable cavity at periodic attachment points including at the first attachment point and third attachment point, a ratio of material length between adjacent attachment points on the second inelastic material to the material length between adjacent attachment points on the first inelastic material increases toward a terminal end of the one or more booms so that the boom curves more toward the terminal end in the closed configuration.
6 more elements
A connection system, comprising:
- one or more booms, each of the one or more booms comprising a first inelastic material defining a first inflatable cavity and a second inelastic material defining a second inflatable cavity wherein the first inflatable cavity is separately inflatable from the second inflatable cavity;
- a first attachment point on an exterior surface of the first inelastic material defining the first inflatable cavity;
- a third attachment point on the exterior surface of the first inelastic material defining the first inflatable cavity, wherein the third attachment point is separated from the first attachment point by a first material distance along the exterior surface of the first inelastic material;
- a second attachment point on an exterior surface of the second inelastic material defining the second inflatable cavity;
- and
- a fourth attachment point on the exterior surface of the second inelastic material defining the second inflatable cavity, wherein the fourth attachment point is separated from the second attachment point by a second material distance along the exterior surface of the second inelastic material, wherein the first length is less than the second length,
- wherein the first inelastic material attaches to the second inelastic material at the first attachment point to the second attachment point and the third attachment point to the fourth attachment point,
- wherein the one or more booms are configured to have a stored configuration in which one or more booms are in a retracted orientation, a deployed configuration in which one or more booms are in an extended orientation, and a closed configuration in which the one or more booms are deformed from the extended orientation by imposing a force on the first and third attachment points to push the first and third attachment points away from each other,
- wherein a first inflatable tube defines the first inflatable cavity and a second inflatable tube defines the second inflatable cavity and the second inflatable tube has a longer length than the first inflatable tube.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.