NL2026171B1 - A thin elongated object and a method to provide such a thin elongated object - Google Patents

Abstract

A thin elongated object, which object is convertible between a storage position and a deployed position, which ob— ject in its deployed position is shaped as a spiralled strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter, or air— craft component, which strip has a length in its spiralling di— rection and a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to the said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, and wherein for placement of the ob— ject in the storage position the strip is windable in a series of windings around a coil, wherein the first windings around the coil for assuming the storage position correspond with the spirals near a center of the spiralled strip when the object is in the deployed position, wherein the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiralled strip is smaller than the width of the strip at the spirals that are at a farther distance from the center of the spiralled strip.

Description

A thin elongated object and a method to provide such a thin elongated object The invention relates to a thin elongated object, which object is convertible between a storage position and a deployed position, which object in its deployed position is shaped as a spiralled strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter, or aircraft component, which strip has a length in its spiralling direction and a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, and wherein for placement of the object in the storage position the strip is windable in a series of windings around a coil, wherein the first windings around the coil for assuming the storage posi- tion correspond with the spirals near a center of the spiralled strip when the object is in the deployed position. The inven- tion also relates to a method to provide such a thin elongated object that is convertible between a storage position and a de- ployed position.

In figure 1 a prior art thin elongated object is shown comprising a spiralled strip in a deployed position, wherein the strip has a length in its spiralling direction and a width ‘w/ as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to said direction, which width and length of the strip are prede- termined. Figure 2 shows what happens when for the purpose of converting the strip of figure 1 into a storage position, the strip is wound in a series of windings around a coil, wherein the first windings around the coil for assuming the storage po- sition correspond with the spirals near a center of the spi- ralled strip when the object is in the deployed position, as shown in figure 1. What results is a series of windings which widens out at one side in comparison with an opposite side to a relatively large diameter Dl, according to which the required storage room is rather large.

It is an object of the invention to limit the amount of required storage space for the object when the spiralled strip is wound into its storage position.

According to the invention this is achieved by provid- ing that the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiralled strip is smaller than the width of the strip at the spirals that are at a farther distance from the center of the spiralled strip.

Preferably the width of the strip linearly or parabol- ically increases from a first value at the spirals of the strip near the center of the spiralled strip, to eventually a second value at the spirals of the strip distant from said center, and that said width of the strip remains constant at the second value of the width for the part of the strip that is still far- ther away and beyond the point where the width of the strip for a first time has arrived at the second value.

The invention is also embodied in a method to provide a thin elongated object that is convertible between a storage position and a deployed position, which object is manufactured into a spiralled strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a de- ployable shelter, or aircraft component, which strip has a length in its spiralled direction and a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, wherein the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spi- ralled strip is smaller than the width of the strip at the spi- rals that are at a farther distance from the center of the spi- ralled strip.

Amongst the benefits of the method and thin elongated object of the invention, are that a single continuous cut that provides the spiralled strip suffices to make it possible that any and all creases in the storage position of the spiralled strip can be avoided.

Storage is also easy because it only re- quires rolling of the strip on a coil or spool.

Another ad- vantage is that the invention can even be applied on objects with a double curved shape.

The invention will hereinafter be further elucidated with reference to the drawing of an exemplary embodiment of a thin elongated object according to the invention that is not limiting as to the appended claims.

In the drawing: figure 1 shows a prior art thin elongated object em- bodied as a spiralled strip in its deployed position; figure 2 shows the object of figure 1 in its storage 40 position;

-figure 3 shows a thin elongated object embodied as a spiralled strip in its deployed position; -figure 4 shows a graph of a first embodiment with an increasing width departing from the center of the spiralled strip; -figure 5 shows a graph of a second embodiment with an increasing width departing from the center of the spiralled strip; and -figure 6 shows the object of figure 3 in its storage position.

Figures 1 and 2 pertaining to the prior art thin elon- gated strip has been discussed hereinabove.

Figure 3 shows a thin elongated strip according to the invention wherein the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiralled strip is smaller than the width of the strip at the spirals that are at a farther distance from the center of the spiralled strip. Possible embodiments thereof are shown in figure 4 and figure 5, respectively.

In figures 4 and 5 the X axis represents the distance from the center of the spiral as shown in figure 3, and the Y axis represents the width of the respective windings of the spiral shown in figure 3.

Figure 4 and figure 5 respectively show that the width of the strip linearly (figure 4) or parabolically (figure 5) increases from a first value at the spirals of the strip near the center of the spiralled strip, to eventually a second value at the spirals of the strip distant from said center, and that said width of the strip remains constant at the second value of the width for the part of the strip that is still farther away and beyond the point where the width of the strip for a first time has arrived at the second value.

The effect that is achieved with the object and method of the invention is depicted in figure 6, which represents the storage position of the thin elongated object of figure 3. It shows that when the strip is wound into a series of windings around a coil or spool, the diameter of these windings is re- stricted to a value D2, wherein D2 is smaller than the value D1 shown in figure 2 with reference to the prior art object.

Although the invention has been discussed in the fore- 40 going with reference to an exemplary embodiment of the object and method of the invention, the invention is not restricted to this particular embodiment which can be varied in many ways without departing from the invention. The discussed exemplary embodiment shall therefore not be used to construe the appended claims strictly in accordance therewith. On the contrary the embodiment is merely intended to explain the wording of the ap- pended claims without intent to limit the claims to this exem- plary embodiment. The scope of protection of the invention shall therefore be construed in accordance with the appended claims only, wherein a possible ambiguity in the wording of the claims shall be resclved using this exemplary embodiment.

Aspects of the invention are itemized in the following section.

1. A thin elongated object, which object is convertible between a storage position and a deployed position, which object in its deployed position is shaped as a spiralled strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter, or aircraft compo- nent, which strip has a length in its spiralling direction and a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to the said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, and wherein for placement of the object in the storage position the strip is windable in a series of windings around a coil, wherein the first windings around the coil for assuming the storage position correspond with the spirals near a center of the spiralled strip when the object is in the de- ployed position, characterized in that the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiralled strip is small- er than the width of the strip at the spirals that are at a farther distance from the center of the spiralled strip.

2. The object of claim 1, characterized in that the width of the strip linearly or parabolically increases from a first val- ue at the spirals of the strip near the center of the spiralled strip, to eventually a second value at the spirals of the strip distant from said center, and that said width of the strip re- mains constant at the second value of the width for the part of the strip that is still farther away and beyond the point where the width of the strip for a first time has arrived at the sec- ond value.

3. Method to provide a thin elongated object that is converti- 40 ble between a storage position and a deployed position, which object is manufactured into a spiralled strip, such as an an- tenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter, or aircraft compo- nent, which strip has a length in its spiralling direction and a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to 5 the said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, characterized in that the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiralled strip is smaller than the width of the strip at the spirals that are at a far- ther distance from the center of the spiralled strip.

Claims (3)

CONCLUSIONS 1. Thin elongate object, which object is convertible between a storage position and an deployed position, which object in its deployed position is in the form of a spiral strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter or an aircraft component, which strip has a length in its spiral direction and has a width as measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, and wherein for placing the object in the storage position the strip is windable in a series of turns around a coil, the first turns around the coil to assume the storage position correspond to the coils near a center of the spiral strip when the object is in the deployed position, characterized in that the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiral strip is less than the width of the strip at the spirals further from near the center of the spiral strip. Object according to claim 1, characterized in that the width of the strip increases linearly or parabolically from a first value at the spirals of the strip near the center of the spiral strip, to finally a second value at the spirals of the strip at a distance from the center, and that the width of the strip remains constant at this second value of the width of the part of the strip that is further away beyond the point where the width of the strip is for the first time arrived at the second value. A method of providing a thin elongate object convertible between a storage position and a deployed position, the object being fabricated into a spiral strip, such as an antenna, a reflector, a deployable shelter or aircraft component, which strip has a length in the spiral direction and a width measured in the plane of the strip and transverse to said direction, which width and length of the strip are predetermined, characterized in that the width of the strip at the spirals near the center of the spiral strip is less than the width of the strip at the spirals further from the center of the spiral strip.