US4482900A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Deployable folded antenna apparatus
Assignee: United States Department of the Air Force
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Filing: 1982-09-13
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Granted: 1984-11-13
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Expires: 2002-09-13
Abstract
Abstract An antenna apparatus for use in space which is foldable into a small package for storage in a space vehicle. The antenna apparatus utilizes a plurality of hinged members and diagonal tapes forming parallelogram frames, two opposite sides of which are hinged at the center to fold the frames in a given plane. Similar frames are hinged on the first frames in a second plane whereby a plurality of cubes are formed when all are unfolded.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank V. Bilek
- 👤 David N. Buell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-05 14:23
CPC Classifications
H; H01; H01Q; H01Q15/00; H01Q15/14; H01Q15/18; H01Q15/20; H01Q15/16; H01Q15/161; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S343/00; Y10S343/02; Y10S52/00; Y10S52/10
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
135 words
A deployable, folded antenna apparatus comprising in combination: a plurality of box truss elements arranged in rows and columns, each of said box truss elements comprising a cube unit, said cube unit comprising in combination: a vertical member at each corner of said cube unit, top and bottom surface members which are connected respectively between adjacent vertical members to form a cube, said top and bottom surface members are foldable about their midpoints, and, diagonal tapes connected between diagonally opposite corners of adjacent vertical members, said diagonal tapes being coilable at their midpoints, each cube unit being foldable about the midpoint of each top and bottom surface members to form a stowed truss unit, said stowed truss unit being deployable to form a box truss structure, said box truss structure providing a rigid support base.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
135 words
A deployable, folded antenna apparatus comprising in combination: a plurality of box truss elements arranged in rows and columns, each of said box truss elements comprising a cube unit, said cube unit comprising in combination: a vertical member at each corner of said cube unit, top and bottom surface members which are connected respectively between adjacent vertical members to form a cube, said top and bottom surface members are foldable about their midpoints, and, diagonal tapes connected between diagonally opposite corners of adjacent vertical members, said diagonal tapes being coilable at their midpoints, each cube unit being foldable about the midpoint of each top and bottom surface members to form a stowed truss unit, said stowed truss unit being deployable to form a box truss structure, said box truss structure providing a rigid support base.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
70 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 1 further including: support posts at the junction of each of said top surface members, said support posts are respectively connected to said vertical member, each of said support posts comprising a vertical extension of said vertical member, each of said support posts including a support means, and, a surface element dispersed over and supported by said support means on said support posts.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
16 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said surface element is a mesh surface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said surface element is an antenna array surface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said surface element is a reflector surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
16 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said surface element comprises a planar surface.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 2 wherein said surface element comprises a parabolic surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 6 wherein all vertical members are of equal length, all surface members, top and bottom, are of equal length and all diagonal tapes are of equal length.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
16 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein said surface element comprises a parabolic antenna.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
52 words
An antenna apparatus as described in claim 7 wherein said top surface members form a plurality of parallelogram surface units, said top and bottom surface members in any row or column are equal, and said diagonal tapes of corresponding diagonals between upper and lower surfaces in any row or column are equal.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4030102A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1987-11-13 | 1988-05-14 | 1988-11-13 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1991-11-13 | 1992-05-14 | 1992-11-13 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1995-11-13 | 1996-05-14 | 1996-11-13 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |