Inflatable gas cell structure deploying method
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorEdward J. Simburger
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Abstract
An inflatable structure includes a plurality of inflation cells each have a respective internal gas generator connected to an external control processor for sequential inflation of the inflatable structure. Power and control lines feed through the inflation cells for powering the internal gas generator and for communicating control signals between the gas generators and the external control processor. A method of sequence inflation can use various types of exemplar gas generators, such as cellular containment evaporation gas generators and laser ablation gas generators.
Claims5
A method of inflating an inflatable structure having a plurality of inflatable cells, the method comprising,
- disposing gas generators inside the inflatable cells,
- routing power and control lines through the inflatable cells for connecting the gas generators to an external controller,
- stacking the inflatable structure into a stowed position,
- releasing gas in one of the inflatable cells by a respective one of the gas generators, the releasing of gas is controlled by the gas generator for releasing controlled amounts of gas, and
- repeating the releasing step in turn under control of the external controller for each of the gas generators in each of the inflatable cells for sequentially inflating the inflatable cell in a control sequence for inflating the inflatable structure to a deployed position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.