US 12,139,912 B2
Foldable truss structure, in particular for solar tracker
Jérome Tordo, Aix-en-Provence (FR); Fabien Viennois, Messery (FR); and Christophe Micoli, Marseilles (FR)
Assigned to NEXANS, Courbevoie (FR)
Appl. No. 17/625,669
Filed by NEXANS, Courbevoie (FR)
PCT Filed Jun. 16, 2020, PCT No. PCT/FR2020/051032
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 7, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/009424, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 21, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 19 07918 (FR), filed on Jul. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0259862 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. E04C 3/08 (2006.01); E04B 1/343 (2006.01); E04C 3/04 (2006.01); F24S 30/40 (2018.01); H02S 20/32 (2014.01)
CPC E04C 3/08 (2013.01) [E04B 1/343 (2013.01); F24S 30/40 (2018.05); H02S 20/32 (2014.12); E04C 2003/0469 (2013.01); E04C 2003/0491 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A truss structure including:
an assembly constituted of a number greater than or equal to two of longitudinal members extending parallel to one another in a main extension direction; and
crossmembers distributed along the main extension direction and configured to connect the longitudinal members mechanically two by two so that the crossmembers are able to form a plurality of polygons each contained in a plane perpendicular to said main extension direction;
wherein each crossmember connecting two longitudinal members includes:
a first half-crossmember that has a first end connected in a pivoting manner to one of the two longitudinal members so as to be able to pivot about a first rotation axis and a second end opposite the first end; and
a second half-crossmember that has a first end connected in a pivoting manner to the other of the two longitudinal members so as to be able to pivot about a second rotation axis and a second end connected to the second end of the first half-crossmember by an articulation hinge allowing relative rotation of the two half-crossmembers about a third rotation axis, the first, second and third rotation axes being parallel to one another and orthogonal to said main extension direction so as to allow the truss structure and each crossmember to pass from a deployed position to a folded position and vice versa,
said deployed position corresponding to a position in which the first and the second half-crossmembers of each crossmember extend in line with one another in a direction orthogonal to said main extension direction so that the crossmembers form said plurality of polygons, and said folded position corresponding to a position in which the first and the second half crossmembers of each crossmember extend substantially parallel one alongside the other along said main extension direction,
the articulation hinge of each crossmember being able to be locked in the deployed position and unlocked to allow folding of the crossmembers and of the truss structure, and the articulation hinge of each half-crossmember including a first sleeve fixed to one end of one of the two half-crossmembers and a second sleeve fixed to an end of the other of the two crossmembers, each sleeve comprising at its periphery:
a first and a second lateral lug extending facing and radially relative to the sleeve and each pierced by an orifice;
a third lateral lug extending radially relative to the sleeve and diametrically opposite the first and second lateral lugs, said third lateral lug being also pierced by an orifice.