US 11,835,082 B2
Folding assembly
Michael S. Karapetian, Huntington Beach, CA (US); and Hao Lee, Huntington Beach, CA (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on May 21, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/880,447.
Prior Publication US 2021/0364020 A1, Nov. 25, 2021
Int. Cl. B64C 25/14 (2006.01); B64C 25/20 (2006.01); F16B 5/06 (2006.01)
CPC F16B 5/06 (2013.01) [B64C 25/14 (2013.01); B64C 25/20 (2013.01); Y10T 74/20 (2015.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A folding assembly movable between a collapsed configuration and an extended configuration, the folding assembly comprising:
a first rotating link comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is pivotably coupled to a structural member/frame;
a second rotating link comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the second rotating link first end is pivotably coupled to the structural member/frame;
a first connecting link pivotably coupled between the first rotating link and the second rotating link;
a second connecting link comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the second connecting link first end is pivotably coupled to the first rotating link second end;
a support link comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is pivotably coupled to the second rotating link second end, and the support link second end is configured to couple to a component to be moved, wherein the support link is configured to selectively move the component between, inclusively, a retracted position and a deployed position, and
each of the first and second rotating links, first and second connecting links, and support link remains linear in the collapsed configuration, the extended configuration, and intermediate configurations therebetween.