Hybrid inflatable boom
AssigneeOpterus Research and Development, Inc.
InventorThomas W. Murphey
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A deformable hybrid inflatable boom includes an inflatable tube of a first material having an inflatable tube surface and an inflatable tube longitudinal boom direction in a hybrid inflatable boom inflated state. Each longeron of a plurality of longerons is disposed on the inflatable tube surface and spaced apart from each other and held in place by the inflatable tube, and in the hybrid inflatable boom inflated state the each longeron is extended in a direction of the inflatable tube longitudinal boom direction. A method for deploying a deformable hybrid inflatable boom is also described.
Claims18
A deformable hybrid inflatable boom comprising:
- an inflatable tube of a first material having an inflatable tube surface and an inflatable tube longitudinal boom direction in a hybrid inflatable boom inflated state;
- and
- each longeron of a plurality of longerons disposed on said inflatable tube surface and spaced apart from each other and held in place by said inflatable tube, and
- in said hybrid inflatable boom inflated state said each longeron extended in a direction of said inflatable tube longitudinal boom direction,
- wherein said inflatable tube is sealed for pressurization, and
- said longerons are configured to be held in place on said inflatable tube surface by a hoop stiffness of said inflatable tube,
- wherein at least one of said plurality of longerons is disposed on an outer surface of said inflatable tube,
- wherein, in a hybrid inflatable boom flattened state, said plurality of longerons are interleaved with each other between an undulating flattened tube, and
- wherein said inflatable tube comprises a flexible textile material or a polymer reinforced textile material, and said longerons comprise a material stiffer than said inflatable tube.
A deformable boom comprising:
- an inflatable tube defining a longitudinal axis;
- a plurality of longerons disposed on the inflatable tube and extending along the longitudinal axis;
- wherein said inflatable tube is sealed for pressurization,
- wherein said longerons are configured to be held in place on said inflatable tube surface by a hoop stiffness of said inflatable tube,
- wherein the inflatable tube is configured to transition between an inflated state and a deflated state;
- wherein, in the deflated state, the inflatable tube and the longerons form a boom structure with adjacent longerons disposed in radial spaced relation relative to the longitudinal axis, and
- wherein said deformable hybrid inflatable boom further comprises at least one enlarged end cavity in the deflated state
- wherein at least one of said plurality of longerons is disposed on an outer surface of said inflatable tube,
- wherein, in the deflated state, said plurality of longerons are interleaved with each other between undulating portions of the flattened inflatable tube,
- and wherein said inflatable tube comprises a flexible textile material or a polymer reinforced textile material, and said longerons comprise a material stiffer than said inflatable tube.
A method for deploying a deformable hybrid inflatable boom comprising:
- providing an inflatable tube having a plurality of longerons disposed thereon, each longeron disposed on and held in place on an inflatable tube surface;
- wherein said inflatable tube is sealed for pressurization, and
- inflating said inflatable tube to hold each of said longerons in a place on said inflatable tube surface by a hoop stiffness of said inflatable tube,
- where an axial stiffness of said deformable hybrid inflatable boom is provided by said plurality of longerons,
- wherein at least one of said plurality of longerons is disposed on an outer surface of said inflatable tube,
- wherein, in a flattened state, said plurality of longerons are interleaved with each other between undulating portions of the flattened inflatable tube,
- and wherein said inflatable tube comprises a flexible textile material or a polymer reinforced textile material, and said longerons comprise a material stiffer than said inflatable tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.