A deployable wrapped rib assembly 100 comprising: a hub 101; a plurality of ribs 102 capable or being wrapped around the hub in a stowed configuration and extending from the hub in a deployed configuration; and, sheet material 103 connected between the ribs and held taut in the deployed configuration. The ribs are connected to the hub perimeter at an angle which does not change between the two configurations. The assembly may form a primary reflector of an antenna. The ribs may have two radii of curvature in the stowed configuration, with the smaller curvature being near to where the rib joins the hub. The ribs may have a lenticular cross section and may be attached at an angle with respect to the central axis of the hub, so that the sheet material adopts a non-planar form, preferably conical or concave. There may be a plurality of cables to hold the ribs under tension when deployed or a means for retaining the assembly in the stowed configuration, which when released automatically deploys the assembly due to elastic energy stored within the ribs. The method of fabricating such a wrapped rib assembly is also disclosed.
Deployable wrapped rib assembly
2018-05-09
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
Highly Compact Wrapped-Gore Deployable Reflector
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2011
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