Patent ID: 8371088

Claim:
A deployable truss, comprising: two primary chords, said primary chords comprising a plurality of primary chordal members connected end-to-end by alternating primary orthogonal joints and primary chord center-hinge joints, wherein said primary orthogonal joints have different geometry than the primary chord center-hinge joints; and two secondary chords, said secondary chords comprising a plurality of secondary chordal members connected end-to end by alternating secondary chord hinge joints and secondary chord center-hinge joints, wherein said secondary chord hinge joints have different geometry than the secondary chord center-hinge joints; and a plurality of transverse members extending between the secondary chordal members; wherein each primary chord is connected to the proximal secondary chord by a plurality of fixed-length diagonal members each with a first end and a second end, the first end jointedly connected to a primary orthogonal joint and the second end jointedly connected to a secondary chord hinge joint, wherein the primary orthogonal joints and the secondary chord hinge joints are not vertically aligned with each other; further wherein said secondary chordal members fold alongside the diagonal members in a z-fold manner when the truss is expanded or retracted; further wherein said primary chordal members are in-folding when the truss is retracted; and further wherein each primary orthogonal joint comprises a main hinge pin, and each primary hinge joint comprise a hinge pin, and the hinge pins of the primary hinge joints remain parallel at all times to the main hinge pins of the primary orthogonal joints when the truss is expanded or retracted.