Concertina tape products configured for stable deployment and retrieval
View Patent ↗A deployment system and associated products utilize a magazine for holding and dispensing the products. The products may have any of a number of internal and external trusses that may be in tension and/or compression for rigidifying the product in selected directions. Thus the product may be shaped to fit a predetermined contour. The magazine may be supported on a deployment vehicle for ease of deployment of the product.
1. A shaped concertina tape product comprising:
a concertina coil forming an envelope of a predetermined configuration by a plurality of concertina coil segments having respective helically progressive strands, each coil segment having an end connected to an end of an adjacent one of the plurality of concertina coil segments;
wherein the strand of each adjacent segment progresses helically in an opposite rotational direction relative to the adjacent coil segment; and
a plurality of trusses connected to the coil to rigidify the coil against forces in one or more direction so that in a deployed state, an original dimension of the envelope in the rigidified direction is maintained while a dimension in a non-rigidified direction is reduced.
2. The shaped concertina tape product of claim 1 , wherein the configuration of the envelope has a variety of preselected sectional dimensions along a length of the coil.
3. The shaped concertina tape product of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of segments alternatingly comprise respective clockwise and counterclockwise helically progressive strands connected end to end.
4. A tape product comprising:
a concertina coil at least one upright internal truss connected to the coil at a plurality of diametrically opposite connection points, defining a chord of the coil, to strengthen and/or stabilize the coil, the truss comprising a compression member connected at the connection points to portions of the coil which holds the portions away from each other at a predetermined distance; and wherein the truss includes an upright truss connected to the diametrically opposite portions of the coil and at least one additional truss is connected to an additional portion of the coil at one or more of additional connection points.