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US 4,151,872 AGranted
Panel deployment system
AssigneeGeneral Dynamics Corporation
InventorsPaul Slysh, LeRoy E. Siden
Life of this patent
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AssigneeGeneral Dynamics Corporation
InventorsPaul Slysh, LeRoy E. Siden
Estimating the term…
A mechanism for deploying and retracting an isogrid structure particularly suited for use in supporting low weight reflective or absorbtive surfaces, characterized by a plurality of hinged isogrid panels stowed in an accordion folded stack arranged for automatic deployment into a long continuous strip or array. Two deployment arms in contact with the stack of panels are rotated to a position perpendicular to the stack, carrying with them a perforated deployment tape that is attached to the first panel. The tape is engaged to sprocket drives which draw the first panel from the stack. Thereafter, the panels are extended by the powered sprockets which engage perforations in the panel edges. A shutter sequentially releases pairs of panels during deployment. For retraction, the sprockets drive the panels back toward the stack where a creaser arm hinges pairs of panels which are thereafter folded into a stack by means of the shutter capturing and stowing each folded pair of panels.
An improved panel deployment system of the type wherein a plurality of panels are hingedly connected together in end-to-end relation and alternately folded into an accordion folded stack, said panels adapted for unfolding between two deployment arms and subsequently being extended beyond said arms to form an elongated array of a type which may later be sequentially creased and folded, one pair of panels at a time, to reform an accordion folded stack, wherein the improvement comprises:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.