Patent ID: 7963084

Claim:
A deployable triangular truss beam with proximal and distal ends, comprising: a plurality of framesets, each frameset having a first diagonal side member, a second diagonal side member, and a transverse member, each of said diagonal side members and said transverse member having a first and a second end, said first diagonal side member being rigidly connected at its first end adjacent to the first end of said second diagonal side member at a primary joint half and the second end of said first diagonal side member being hingedly connected to the first end of said transverse member at a first secondary joint, the second end of said transverse member being hingedly connected to the second end of said second diagonal side member, at a second secondary joint; a plurality of framebay subassemblies, each framebay subassembly comprising a first and second frameset, one of said framesets being connected to another of said framesets by a diagonal member connecting the second end of said second diagonal member at its connection to the second end of said transverse member to the primary joint of a first frameset, and said one of said framesets also being connected to another of said framesets by a diagonal member connecting the second end of said first diagonal member at its connection to the first end of said transverse member to the last mentioned primary joint thereby forming a framebay subassembly; and a plurality of framebays, each framebay comprising a framebay subassembly, a first primary folding chordal member connected to the primary joints of the framesets comprising the framebay subassembly, a first secondary folding chordal member connected to the second ends of said first diagonal side members of the first and second framesets comprising the framebay subassemblies at their points of connection to the first ends of said transverse members, and a second secondary folding chordal member connected to the second ends of said second diagonal side members of the first and second framesets comprising the framebay subassemblies at their points of connection to the second ends of said transverse members; wherein the plurality of framebays when extended form a truss beam with no more than three sides in cross section with three longitudinal chords; and further wherein all of said joints being separable into two interconnected mating parts and having hinge means thereon for folding said chordal members from a first deployed position to a second retracted position.