Thin mirror with truss backing and mounting arrangement therefor

A support structure for supporting a thin panel to have a substantially rigid configuration, the support structure comprising a backer sheet, and a plurality of riser elements having heights extending in a first direction from proximal ends coupled to the backer sheet to distal ends and having lengths along rows in substantially parallel riser planes, the distal ends of the riser elements being attachable to the thin panel for supporting the thin panel and increasing rigidity of the thin panel in a second direction substantially parallel to the riser planes, wherein the backer sheet is configured to be a first chord of a truss and the riser elements are configured to be diagonal elements of the truss, the thin panel being a second chord of the truss, wherein the support structure further comprises a bar extending between at least one pair of adjacent riser elements of the plurality of riser elements in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the first and second directions.

A substantially rigid thin-sheet panel assembly configured as a truss and having a non-rigid thin-sheet component, the thin-sheet panel assembly comprising the thin-sheet component which has selected plan area and shape and is a first chord of the truss, a backer having a plan shape and area substantially similar to the thin-sheet component and being a second chord of the truss, and plural riser elements of selected height and configuration each extending from the backer to distal ends connected to a reverse surface of the thin-sheet component, the backer being defined by a backer sheet, and the riser elements being defined by portions of the backer sheet having substantially hourglass-shaped configurations that are bent away from the backer sheet to define openings therein and have integral connections to the backer sheet at bases of the hourglass-shaped configurations, the riser elements being diagonal elements of the truss and configured and disposed in an array which causes the assembly to have substantial rigidity in a selected direction in the thin-sheet component.

A substantially rigid thin-sheet panel assembly configured as a truss and having a non-rigid thin-sheet component, the thin-sheet panel assembly comprising the thin-sheet component which has selected plan area and shape and is a first chord of the truss, a backer having a plan shape and area substantially similar to the thin-sheet component and being a second chord of the truss, and plural riser elements of selected height and configuration each extending from, the backer to distal ends connected to a reverse surface of the thin-sheet component, the backer being defined by a backer sheet, and each of the riser elements being defined by a respective portion of the backer sheet that is bent away from the backer sheet to define a respective opening therein and has an integral connection to the backer sheet, each of the respective riser elements at its distal end defining a pair of connection tabs disposed laterally of the height of the riser element, the connection tabs of the pair of connection tabs extending in opposite directions from the distal end of the respective riser element, the riser elements being diagonal elements of the truss and configured and disposed in an array which causes the assembly to have substantial rigidity in a selected direction in the thin-sheet component.