Membrane integrated lamina emergent torsion joint

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11852210-B2
Application number	US-202218056522-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2022
Priority date	Oct 3, 2018
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

A lamina emergent torsional (LET) joint that includes an integrated membrane to reduce, or eliminate, certain unwanted motions and/or displacements associated with the operation of the LET joint is disclosed. The membrane-integrated LET joint (i.e., M-LET) can be used as a hinge for a lamina emergent mechanism and/or as a surrogate fold for an origami application to ensure accurate and repeatable transitions from a planar (i.e., lamina) state to a non-planar (i.e., lamina-emergent) state, and vice versa.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint comprising:
torsional segments that are substantially parallel to one another, each torsional segment capable of a twisting motion along a length between end portions of the torsional segment;
a first member and a second member that are coupled by the torsional segments, and that can be configured into a folded configuration or an unfolded configuration by a hinge movement facilitated by the twisting motion of one or more of the torsional segments, wherein the first member, the second member, and the torsional segments form an inside LET joint configuration including the first member and the second member coupled by a coupling block at interior edges of the torsional segments; and
a membrane coupled to at least the first member and the second member, the membrane configured to allow the hinge movement while reducing, or preventing, other movements.

2. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein the torsional segments, the first member, the second member are formed from a planar sheet of material.

3. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein in the folded configuration the first member and the second member define an angle with a vertex of the angle corresponding to the torsional segments.

4. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 3 , wherein the angle of the folded configuration is greater than zero degrees and less than 180 degrees.

5. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein in the unfolded configuration the first member, the second member, and the torsional segments substantially define a plane.

6. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein the membrane is adhered to the first member, the second member, and the torsional segments.

7. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein:
the membrane is adhered to the first member and the second member; and
the membrane is not adhered to the torsional segments.

8. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein the inside LET joint configuration includes:
each torsional segment connected at a midpoint along its length to another torsional segment by the coupling block;
one of the torsional segments connected to the first member by first frame segments at each end of the torsional segment; and
another of the torsional segments connected to the second member by second frame segments at each end of the torsional segment.

9. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , further comprising a stop block to prevent the other movements in a direction that diminishes a separation between a corresponding torsional segment and member.

10. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein:
the torsional segments, the first member, the second member are defined by a first planar sheet of material, and wherein the membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint further includes:
a second planar sheet of material that defines torsional segments, a first member, and a second member that correspond to those of the first sheet, the second sheet and the first sheet bonded to and separated by the membrane.

11. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein the hinge movement is unidirectional.

12. The membrane-integrated lamina emergent torsional joint according to claim 1 , wherein the other movements include a tensile deflection of the torsional segments or a rotational deflection of the torsional segments.

13. A method for reducing a parasitic motion in a lamina emergent mechanism comprising:
coupling a membrane to a planar layer, the planar layer defining a plurality of torsional segments between a first member and a second member; and
folding the first member and the second member, wherein the folding includes:
applying a force to the first member or the second member, the applied force resulting in a twisting motion of at least one of the plurality of torsional segments and the parasitic motion of at least one of the plurality of torsional segments;
allowing, using the membrane, the twisting motion; and
resisting, using the membrane, the parasitic motion, wherein the lamina emergent mechanism is a an inside LET joint configuration including the first member and the second member coupled by a coupling block at interior edges of the plurality of torsional segments.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
coupling the membrane to a surface of a second planar layer, the second planar layer an approximate duplicate of the planar layer, and the membrane between the planar layer and the second planar layer.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the coupling the membrane to the planar layer includes:
bonding the membrane to the first member, the second member, and the plurality of torsional segments.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the coupling the membrane to the planar layer includes:
bonding the membrane to the first member and the second member; and
not bonding the membrane to the plurality of torsional segments.

17. A surrogate fold for an origami mechanism comprising:
a first member and a second member configurable into a folded configuration or an unfolded configuration based on movement provided by an inside lamina emergent torsional joint coupled between the first member and the second member, the inside lamina emergent torsional joint including the first member and the second member coupled by a coupling block at interior edges of a plurality of torsional segments; and
a membrane coupled to a planar surface defined by the first member and the second member in the unfolded configuration, the membrane allowing a first hinge movement of the inside lamina emergent torsional joint in a first direction and resisting a second hinge movement of the inside lamina emergent torsional joint in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction.

18. The surrogate fold for an origami mechanism according to claim 17 , wherein the membrane is adhered to the first member and the second member and not adhered to torsional segments coupled between the first member and the second member.

Assignees

• Brigham Young Univ Byu
• Univ Brigham Young

Inventors

• Chen Guimin
• Howell Larry
• Magleby Spencer

Classifications

• F16F1/027 Primary

  Planar, e.g. in sheet form; leaf springs · CPC title

• F16F2234/06

  plane or flat · CPC title

• F16F2236/08

  Torsion · CPC title