Supporting frame assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932749-B2
Application number	US-201615092997-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2016
Priority date	Apr 7, 2015
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A supporting frame includes a truss composed of an upper straight frame member and a parallel lower straight frame member supported at their ends in spaced relationship relative to each other. At least two spans of divergent inclined brace member extend between them with the ends of the brace member spans each being securable to the upper or lower straight frame member by means of a fastener. Limited relative longitudinal movement of the upper and lower straight frame members is permitted before a fastener is secured to fix the positions at which the ends of the brace member spans are attached to the upper and lower straight frame members. In one application two trusses meet at a corner with a pylon being urged in the plane of the supporting frame into a corner between two frame members of each pair of trusses to extend at right angles to the frame.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A supporting frame comprising:
a truss comprising an upper straight frame member and a generally parallel lower straight frame member with each of the frame members supported at or towards its ends in spaced relationship relative to each other, and
at least one single piece divergent inclined brace member extending between the upper straight frame member and lower straight frame member with two spans and respective ends of the divergent inclined brace member each being securable to the lower straight frame member by a fastener associated therewith, and
wherein a flattened central region of the brace member is flattened in a plane parallel to the upper straight frame member and has an elongate longitudinal slot parallel to a longitudinal axis of the upper straight frame member for accommodating a fastener or fasteners passing through the flattened central region for allowing limited relative longitudinal movement of the upper straight frame member and lower straight frame member, wherein the relative longitudinal movement of the upper straight frame member and lower straight frame member operate as two sides of a parallelogram to relieve or avoid stresses in a supporting surface.

2. The supporting frame as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the divergent inclined brace member is of deformable material that is selected from a group consisting of tubular section, angle section, and channel section and the free ends are flattened and secured to the lower straight frame member.

3. The supporting frame as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper straight frame member and lower straight frame member are selected from a group consisting of tubular section, angle section, and channel section with their ends flattened configured for overlapping and attaching to corresponding ends of cooperating upper straight frame member or lower straight frame member of a co-operating truss at a relative angle.

4. The supporting frame as claimed in claim 3 , wherein attached corresponding ends of upper straight frame members and lower straight frame members of cooperating trusses support a pylon at an inside surface of each of the attached corresponding ends with a fastener enclosing the pylon allowing the pylon to be adjusted vertically, and wherein one or more single piece divergent inclined brace member extends between two pylons.

5. A supporting assembly formed of a multitude of supporting frames as claimed in claim 1 , wherein multiple trusses of the multiple supporting frames are provided in an inter-connected generally horizontal lattice and support a multitude of upright pylons.

6. The supporting assembly as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the supporting assembly includes at least two trusses meeting at a corner with an upper straight frame member and a lower straight frame member of the two trusses being generally co-planar and the pylons being urge in a plane of the supporting frame into a corner between the frame members of each pair of trusses so as to extend at generally right angles to a plane including the upper straight frame member and the lower straight frame member of a supporting frame.

7. A supporting assembly formed of a multitude of supporting frames as claimed in claim 1 , wherein three trusses operatively support three upright pylons, and
wherein an upper straight frame of a first truss is attached to an upper straight frame of a second truss and an upper straight frame of a third truss to form a triangular upper frame of the supporting assembly, and
wherein a lower straight frame of a first truss is attached to a lower straight frame of a second truss and a lower straight frame of a third truss to form a triangular lower frame of the supporting assembly, and
wherein the elongate slots in the flattened central region of each of the brace members allows a plane of the triangular upper frame to move relative to a plane of the triangular lower frame prior to a fastener associated with each flattened central region being secured to fix the positions at which each divergent inclined brace member is attached to the respective upper straight frame member.

8. The supporting assembly as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the three trusses support three shorter trusses of a triangular sub-frame arranged to connect midpoints of the three trusses and wherein an upright pylon is operatively supported at each of three corners of a resulting sub-frame.

Assignees

• Univ Stellenbosch

Inventors

• Gauché Paul

Classifications

• E04H12/2238 Primary

  to be placed on the ground (Christmas tree stands A47G33/12) · CPC title

• F03D13/20

  Arrangements for mounting or supporting wind motors; Masts or towers for wind motors · CPC title

• F24S25/13

  Profile arrangements, e.g. trusses (F24S25/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• F24S25/30

  using elongate rigid mounting elements extending substantially along the supporting surface, e.g. for covering buildings with solar heat collectors (extending in directions away from the supporting surface F24S25/10; peripheral frames for modules F24S25/20) · CPC title

• F16M11/24

  changeable in height or length of legs, also for transport only, {e.g. by means of tubes screwed into each other}(F16M11/42 takes precedence) · CPC title