Framework corner connection assembly, framework, and framework structure

Abstract

The invention relates to a framework corner connection assembly (1) for forming a corner of a substantially flat framework (50). The corner connection assembly (1) is suitable for connecting at least one bar (51) and a framework (50) post (53) extending substantially perpendicularly to the bar (51). The corner connection assembly (1) has securing means (56) for securing a bar (51) to the corner connection assembly (1), receiving means (57) for receiving a post (53) on the corner connection assembly (1), and a joint element (59) with a longitudinal axis (69), which runs substantially perpendicularly to the framework plane, for connecting the securing means (56) to the receiving means (57) in an articulated manner.

Description

[0001] Description

[0002] Truss corner joint assembly, truss and truss structure

[0003] The present invention relates to corner connection assemblies for the construction of a buoyant framework, furthermore to buoyant frameworks which have such corner connection assemblies, as well as to buoyant modules modularly composed of such frameworks for 2- and 3-dimensional truss structures, for example as a supporting structure for floating platforms, for the erection of solar panels and wind turbines, or as a supporting structure for wave power plants.

[0004] The number of people on Earth and the average need for space per person are constantly growing. This is leading to land becoming increasingly scarce in urban areas, and land shortages are also occurring in less densely populated areas. This can be particularly problematic for the expansion of renewable energy plants, as these require a large amount of space compared to conventional energy generation plants due to their relatively low power density.

[0005] One solution could be to shift the generation of energy from renewable sources from land to water. Floating platforms, which are widely known in the state of the art, are suitable for floating support of such energy generation plants. However, these structures are often complex in construction and must therefore be assembled entirely on land and then transported to their deployment site on a body of water in their assembled state. This leads to significant limitations in the size and design of such platforms.

[0006] There are a few current solutions where platforms can be assembled modularly on a body of water. However, these are often not suitable for the high loads that can occur during use on the high seas, for example, due to waves. Especially when it comes to structures or platforms with a larger spatial area, the forces and moments exerted on the structure by the waves add up, which in many current designs reduces the load-bearing capacity of these structures. Components, especially connecting components, must be resilient and therefore often solid.

[0007] WO 2021 / 190815 A1 discloses a truss structure and a method for the modular construction of an offshore truss structure from trusses with a first transom functioning as a floating body, a second transom, two posts for supporting the two transoms essentially in parallel, and two straps for bracing the truss.

[0008] One possible solution could be the provision of joint elements to connect structural components of a floating truss structure, whereby moments cannot be transferred, at least not completely, from one structural component to another, connected structural component. However, the provision of additional joints inevitably increases the degrees of freedom along which a structural component can move, which in extreme cases can lead to a static underdetermination of the structural component or even to the static underdetermination of a group of structural components. In some solutions, however, especially in modularly expandable structures in which complex connection mechanisms with a significant spatial extent are provided, this leads to groups of components of truss structures shifting in a parallelogram-like manner.To illustrate this problem, specific problem cases are illustrated in Figures 1 to 4. Figures 1 and 2 show a first possibility of parallel displacement in a side view of a truss structure. Figures 3 and 4 show a second variant of parallel displacement from a top view of a truss structure.

[0009] Figure 1 shows a floating truss structure 85, such as would float on the water surface in calm waters, i.e., in the absence of waves. The floating truss structure 85 has a plurality of trusses 50, two of which are aligned parallel to the plane of the page in the side view shown. A further truss 50 is aligned perpendicular to the plane of the page and positioned centrally between the two other trusses 50. The exact construction of the trusses 50 will be discussed in detail later. It is relevant at this point that the trusses 50 have a rectangular basic shape and are braced in such a way that they are inherently rigid. The trusses 50 are articulated to a node 90, which is spanned by connecting devices 65, 66.Because each of the trusses 50 is supported by its own post, the connecting elements 65, 66 of two adjacent trusses 50 cannot be joined at a single point. The connecting devices 65, 66 are therefore subject to structural constraints that determine the minimum distance between two connecting elements 65, 66 of a truss 50 in a direction transverse to the truss plane. Due to this minimum distance, when several trusses 50 are connected using the connecting devices 65, 66, a rectangle results in the side view, the width of which is determined by the distance between the connecting devices 65, 66 of a truss.

[0010] Figure 2 illustrates a first load condition in which an unevenly distributed load acts on the truss structure, which in this form can be caused, for example, by waves at sea. A force acting in the direction of arrow 95 on a truss structure 50 causes the rectangle spanned by the connecting devices 65, 66 to deflect in a parallelogram-like manner. This creates a displacement between adjacent trusses 50 perpendicular to the water surface, which can damage components mounted on the truss structure, such as photovoltaic modules.

[0011] Figure 3 shows a top view of a connection between four trusses 50. In this case, too, the trusses 50 are hinged to the node 90 formed by the connecting devices 65, 66. Due to the spacing between the connecting elements 65, 66 of a truss 50, the node 90 has the shape of a square when viewed from above.

[0012] If one of the trusses 50 is deflected, for example, as in the load case shown in Figure 4, this in turn leads to a parallel displacement of the node 90. Such a parallel displacement can create tension in components mounted on the truss structure and, in the worst case, lead to damage to such components.

[0013] Overall, it is clear that even a hinged connection of trusses is not suitable for adequately supporting the loads occurring on the high seas, so that sensitive components can be held reliably and safely above the water surface by a truss structure.

[0014] It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a truss structure that can be assembled simply and cost-effectively, whereby the truss structure should be modularly constructed and expandable at the deployment site on a body of water. At the same time, despite its modular nature and simple construction, the truss structure should be capable of withstanding the high loads that occur during deployment on the high seas, such as those caused in particular by waves and wind. Peak loads caused by waves or the support structure hitting the water surface should be absorbed in a dampened manner, preferably by a statically determined truss structure, and / or transmitted as tensile and compressive forces.

[0015] The object is achieved by a truss corner connection assembly according to claim 1. Advantageous embodiments thereof are specified in the dependent subclaims. The object according to the invention is further achieved by a floatable truss according to claim 16, which has truss corner connection assemblies. Advantageous embodiments thereof are specified in the dependent subclaims. Furthermore, the object according to the invention is achieved by a floatable truss structure or a floatable truss structure module according to one of claims 19, 21 or 25. Advantageous embodiments thereof are specified in the dependent subclaims. Furthermore, a wave power plant is specified in claim 27, which achieves the object according to the invention. A truss corner connection assembly according to the invention is suitable for forming a corner of a substantially planar truss.Such a truss structure has a first transom and a second transom parallel to the first. The two transoms are supported by two posts aligned perpendicular to the transoms. To brace the truss structure, struts are provided. These struts can be arranged diagonally to the transoms and posts between opposite corners of the truss structure and tensioned to maintain the truss structure. The trusses are thus essentially flat and define a truss plane in which the transoms, posts, and struts of the truss structure are arranged.

[0016] According to the invention, at least one transom, a post extending substantially perpendicular to the transom, and a strut of the framework extending diagonally to the transom and the post can be connected by a corner connection assembly. For this purpose, the corner connection assembly according to the invention has fastening means for fastening the corner connection assembly to the transom. Furthermore, the corner connection assembly has receiving means for receiving a post on the corner connection assembly. Holding means are provided for connecting a strut to the corner connection assembly. The transoms, posts, and struts of such a framework are designed, for example, as rod- or tubular components with round or square cross-sections, and each define a longitudinal axis. According to the invention, the fastening means, receiving means, orHolding means have a longitudinal axis which, when the components form a framework, is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the bars, posts or struts.

[0017] According to the invention, the corner connection assembly further comprises at least one joint element with a joint axis substantially perpendicular to the truss plane for the articulated connection of the fastening means to the receiving means. Due to this articulated connection, the fastening means and the receiving means can pivot relative to one another about an axis of the joint element oriented substantially perpendicular to the truss plane. The joint element of a corner connection assembly according to the invention can further connect the fastening means to the holding means in an articulated manner. Consequently, according to the invention, the fastening means can be articulated to the receiving means and the holding means by only one component, preferably a plate or a bolt that is deformable in the elastic range.

[0018] The fastening means can further be received via the joint element in such a way that elastic mobility of the fastening means about a pivot axis parallel to a longitudinal axis of the receiving means is possible. According to the invention, not only is a pivoting of the fastening, receiving and holding means about an axis transverse to the truss plane possible, but also a relative movement of the fastening means, the receiving means and / or the holding means about several axes. The fastening means can move with respect to the receiving means and holding means about an axis that is parallel to a longitudinal direction of the receiving means, for example by elastic pivoting, by elastic bending or by an articulated reception of the fastening means. In an assembled truss, this axis can correspond, for example, to the longitudinal axis of the posts or the central axis of a node formed by corner connection assemblies.

[0019] If posts, transoms, and struts are assembled into a truss using truss corner connection assemblies according to the invention, the forces acting on the truss are distributed according to the guidelines of an ideal framework. Due to the articulated connection of the truss components (i.e., the posts, transoms, and struts), the corner connection assemblies only transmit moments around predetermined axes between the truss components. As a result, lower loads act on both the truss components and the corner connection assemblies, and the components forming a truss according to the invention can be dimensioned more slenderly and thus with optimized weight, which positively influences the load-bearing capacity of a supporting structure constructed from trusses. According to the invention, the fastening means are movable relative to the receiving means and the holding means about a rotation axis transverse to the truss plane.Additionally, mobility is provided around an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the support means, which can be achieved either through elastic deformation or through rotation of the fastening means around a center point of a node. The fastening means are fixed in the torsional direction around their longitudinal axis and are therefore not capable of articulated movement around their connection point at a node formed by several corner connection assemblies.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, the joint element can be a joint bolt, by means of which eyes of the fastening, receiving and / or holding means of the corner connection assembly are received. The bolt is designed transversely to a plane of a truss in order to allow pivoting of a transom, a post and / or a strut about a longitudinal axis of the bolt. When used on the high seas, for example, so-called slamming, i.e. the vertical impact of truss components on the water surface, causes high transverse forces to act on the transoms. The resulting cutting moments, which are generated in the truss components, would lead to high stresses in those very corner connectors if the truss components were rigidly connected to the corner connection assemblies. By providing an elastic orDue to the articulated connection of the truss components, no cutting moments need to be absorbed by the corner connection assemblies and the stresses in the components can be reduced.

[0021] As a result, a corner connection assembly according to the invention transmits only those moments required to prevent parallelogram-like displacement of several trusses attached to one another. All other directions of rotation are released, thus keeping the loads transmitted in a truss structure low. The problem of static underdetermination described above, which would occur with a fully hinged connection of the trusses, is thus solved, while still achieving high load resistance.According to the invention, a truss corner connection assembly for forming a corner of a truss is provided, which fulfills the object defined at the outset. A corner connection assembly according to the invention can have a first connecting device connected to the joint element / the joint pin for the articulated connection of a first corner connection assembly to a second corner connection assembly. A second connecting device is arranged opposite with respect to the truss plane. Thus, a first corner connection assembly and a further corner connection assembly can be connected by connecting the first connecting device of the first corner connection assembly to a second connecting device of the further corner connection assembly, or by connecting the second connecting device of the first corner connection assembly to a first connecting device of the further corner connection assembly.If both corner connection assemblies are integrated into different trusses, the two trusses can be connected to each other by connecting their corner connection assemblies using the connecting devices in order to form a modular structure.

[0022] According to the invention, the first connecting device can have an extension, and the second connecting device arranged on the other side of the truss plane can have a holder that is designed to complement the extension. Thus, the extension of a first corner connection assembly can be received by a holder of a connecting device of another corner connection assembly. The holder of the first corner connection assembly can, in turn, receive an extension of another corner connection assembly. The connecting devices of a corner connection assembly according to the invention can thus - based on a tongue and groove principle - have a male element, for example the extension, and a female element, for example a holder.Thus, a corner connection assembly according to the invention can be connected to two further corner connection assemblies by means of the connecting devices, wherein the male element of the first connecting device is connected to the female element of a second connecting device and the female element of the first connecting device is connected to the male element of a third connecting device. Due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances, the dimensions of components of a framework assembled using corner connection assemblies according to the invention can deviate from design specifications. Particularly critical for the connectability of frameworks according to the invention, for example, is the length of the posts, which defines the spacing of the bars of a framework.For example, the lengths of two posts from different trusses that are to be connected by means of the extension and bracket of their respective corner connection assemblies may differ. This can result in the position of the extension of a first truss in the longitudinal direction of a post deviating from the position of the bracket of the other truss. The extension cannot then be engaged with the bracket because the intended pairing is prevented by component tolerances.

[0023] In one embodiment of the invention, the position of the extension is therefore variably adjustable relative to the support along a longitudinal direction of the receiving means or in the longitudinal direction of a post received by the receiving means. Thus, the position of the extension of a first truss relative to the position of the support of another truss to be connected to the first truss can be adapted to the difference in length between the posts of the two trusses.

[0024] In one embodiment of the invention, the extension is designed as a threaded pin with conical ends. The holder comprises two plates that have mutually facing receptacles that are at least partially complementary to the conical ends of the pin. The pin can be received by means of the receptacles—for example, clamped between the plates—and thus be attachable to the corner connection assembly via the plates.In this way, several trusses can be connected in series to form a two- or three-dimensional truss module or a truss structure and the complexity in the assembly of a truss structure according to the invention is reduced in comparison to the designs known in the prior art, in which several trusses have to be connected at the same time. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the connecting devices are arranged at the respective end regions of the bolt. In this embodiment, the connecting devices can be pivoted together with the bolt relative to the fastening means about a longitudinal axis of the bolt.

[0025] According to the invention, fastening points for attaching stiffening struts can be provided on the fastening means, by means of which a plurality of interconnected corner connection assemblies can be stiffened against bending about a bending axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the receiving means. The stiffening struts are preferably designed such that they have low resistance to bending and a high modulus of elasticity that prevents extensive / excessive stretching in their longitudinal direction. According to the invention, a plurality of corner connection assemblies according to the invention, connected to a node by means of the connecting devices, can be braced by means of the stiffening struts in a plane spanned by the joint elements of the corner connection assemblies.Due to the above-described design of the stiffening struts, the fastening elements can still be rotated about a joint element axis relative to the receiving and holding elements and also to the other fastening elements of other corner connection assemblies, because this is not prevented by bending the stiffening struts. However, due to the lack of elasticity of the stiffening struts, the fastening elements cannot be bent or rotated about a bending axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the receiving elements, or only to a very limited extent, thereby stiffening the structure in this plane.

[0026] According to the invention, the hinge pin can be designed in the shape of an arch. The central axis of the arch is aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the receiving means. Preferably, the central axis is spaced from the longitudinal axis of the receiving means by half the distance between the first connecting device and the second connecting device in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the fastening means. The arched or banana-shaped pin is received in the fastening means in such a way that the fastening means are movable, for example pivotable, about the central axis of the arch with respect to the receiving means. An articulated receptacle on the pin also enables pivoting of the fastening means in the truss plane.

[0027] In a further embodiment of the invention, the joint element / joint pin is elastically deformable or has receptacles for the fastening means that are elastically displaceable along the joint axis / pin axis. The elasticity of the element, for example a plate or a pin, or the elastic connection of the receptacle for the fastening means reduces the forces introduced into a corner connection assembly according to the invention. As a result, a corner connection assembly according to the invention can be designed more slenderly and is more cost-effective to manufacture than corner connectors known from the prior art.

[0028] According to the invention, the fastening means on the bolt side can be designed, for example, as a flange. This flange can, for example, have a similar diameter to a bolt, which can, for example, be designed as a tube with a circular cross-section. The fastening means designed as a flange can be fixed to the bolt, for example, by clamping or welding, so that the corner connection assembly is fixed in its translational and rotational position relative to the bolt.

[0029] As already explained above, the joint element of a corner connection assembly according to the invention has at least one joint axis which is oriented perpendicular to the plane of a framework or perpendicular to a plane spanned by the longitudinal axis of the fastening means and the longitudinal axis of the receiving means. However, the inventive concept encompasses the fact that the joint element can also have a plurality of joint axes. For example, the joint element can be designed as a ball joint which enables a relative rotation of the receiving means and / or holding means with respect to the fastening means, which can be achieved by superimposing a rotation about three axes. According to the invention, a rotational position of the bolt relative to the eye of the receiving means can be locked by an anti-twist device. This is particularly advantageous if the bolt has a receptacle for the extension ora first connecting device that allows adjustment of the position of the extension in the longitudinal direction of a post. If the position of the extension is adjustable, for example, in the longitudinal direction of the receptacle in the bolt, the rotational position of the bolt is preferably oriented such that the longitudinal direction of the receptacle is aligned with the longitudinal direction of the post.

[0030] According to the invention, the corner connection assembly can comprise fixing means for securing straps, by means of which three-dimensional truss structure assemblies or modules can be diagonally braced. This can increase the stability of truss structure assemblies or truss structure modules constructed from a plurality of trusses according to the invention.

[0031] According to the invention, it is conceivable that an elastic displacement or deformation of the fastening means around the pivot axis of a few degrees is sufficient to reduce the stresses occurring in a corner connection assembly according to the invention to such an extent that they can be absorbed by a corner connection assembly according to the invention. For example, a deflection of the fastening means should not exceed ±10° with respect to the truss plane. Because a certain rigidity of the fastening means is also desirable in order to be able to bear the loads occurring on the high seas, an elastic deformation of ±5 or ±2° or asymmetrical limit angles, for example, can represent a good compromise between elastic flexibility and rigidity.

[0032] As already indicated above, trusses can be constructed using the corner connection assemblies according to the invention, which can be combined to form a buoyant truss structure. The structures constructed modularly from the trusses according to the invention can extend both two-dimensionally along the water surface and three-dimensionally vertically perpendicular to the water surface. A buoyant truss according to the invention for the modular construction of a buoyant truss structure has, in addition to two essentially parallel bars, two essentially parallel posts for supporting the bars and two struts for diagonally bracing the truss, which have a corner connection assembly according to the invention arranged in each corner of the truss, by means of which one end of a bar, one post and optionally also one end of a strut are articulated to one another.Due to the articulated connection of the truss components, no moments - or only non-critical moments around certain axes of rotation - are transmitted in the corner connection assembly according to the invention, but preferably only compressive and tensile forces.

[0033] According to the invention, at least one of the two bars can be designed as a floating body. For example, the lower bar of a truss according to the invention oriented perpendicular to the water surface or both bars of a truss aligned parallel to the water surface can have a sealed hollow body, for example a tube that is closed by the fastening means. If the cavity of the bar(s) is filled with a material that has a lower density than water, a buoyancy force is generated that preferably equals or even exceeds the weight of the other truss components, so that a truss according to the invention floats on the water surface. To increase the buoyancy of a buoyant truss according to the invention, additional floating bodies can be arranged on the bars, the posts or the struts.The specific shape and fastening of the floating bodies will be selected by a specialist in accordance with the requirements placed on the framework according to the invention.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the struts of the truss are held by holding means of the corner connection assemblies and are pivotally connected to the transoms and posts of the truss. The length of the struts can be adjusted and the truss diagonally braced by means of locking, clamping, blocking, and / or tensioning devices. The length of the struts can be continuously adjustable, for example, by means of a counter-rotating threaded spindle, or can be adjustable in steps, for example, by means of a perforated strip extending in the longitudinal direction of the struts, into the openings of which a bolt can be inserted to connect the strut to a corner connection assembly according to the invention. For this purpose, for example, a bolt of the joint element can be used, which—as explained above—can define a joint axis with its longitudinal axis.

[0035] In order to provide an additional or alternative possibility for adjusting the prestress with which the elements of a truss according to the invention can be braced, the length of the posts can be varied to adjust the spacing of the transoms and thus the nodes. For example, the invention can provide opposing threads at the respective ends of the posts. These threads can interact with the post receptacles on the corner connection assemblies in which the post ends are received, so that rotation of a post results in the post ends being turned in or out of the receptacles. This changes the distance between the transoms, which are aligned essentially parallel to one another, whereby the tension in the diagonal struts is increased or reduced accordingly.

[0036] In one embodiment, a buoyant, checkerboard-like truss structure can be formed from at least two trusses according to the invention, in which the trusses are arranged essentially floating on the water surface and aligned parallel to it. By means of the connecting devices of the corner connection assemblies, the trusses are connected in a checkerboard-like manner to form a structure extending along the water surface. This creates a checkerboard-like structure extending along the water surface, in which trusses and "free" fields not occupied by trusses according to the invention are arranged alternately. Both the two transoms and the posts of a truss according to the invention for constructing a checkerboard-like truss structure can be designed to be buoyant.However, it is also possible that not all elements of the truss structure according to the invention are buoyant, depending on how much buoyancy must be generated by the truss structure. Optionally, additional floats can be attached to the transoms and / or posts of the truss structures according to the invention. On the other hand, the corner connection assemblies according to the invention also allow a directly adjacent, non-checkerboard-like, planar arrangement of truss structures without "free" fields. In one embodiment of the invention, bands provided with tensioning devices are fixed and tensioned in the free fields of the checkerboard-like, buoyant truss structure to the fixing means of the corner connection assemblies, so that the free fields are held in shape by means of the bands or are diagonally tensioned.The bands according to the invention can be designed similarly or even identically to the struts used for diagonal bracing of a truss according to the invention. This means that, for example, locking, clamping, blocking, and / or tensioning devices for adjusting the length and pretension of the bands can be provided on the bands or at the ends of the bands. By diagonally bracing the empty fields with bands, the stability of these (free) fields is increased both against a diamond-shaped displacement of the trusses in the plane defined by the water surface and against deformations and relative displacements occurring perpendicular to the water surface. This increases the stability and resistance of the entire planar structure to externally applied deformations, for example due to waves.

[0037] As an alternative to the previously mentioned flat, carpet- or checkerboard-like, more 2-dimensional structure, the trusses according to the invention, which may be solely buoyant, can also be assembled into a buoyant, 3-dimensional truss structure module according to the invention in the form of a right triangular prism or a right quadrilateral or polygonal prism using suitable connecting elements. Characteristic of such straight prisms are their congruent base and top surfaces. According to the invention, the trusses described above, which can also be referred to as fences, form the basic assemblies for the side surfaces of such truss structure modules according to the invention, which in turn serve as assemblies for buoyant truss structures according to the invention, such as can be used, for example, in the offshore sector.

[0038] A buoyant, three-dimensional truss structure module can be formed from at least three trusses with corner connector assemblies according to the invention. For this purpose, the trusses, oriented perpendicular to the water surface, are connected to one another by means of the connecting devices of their corner connector assemblies to form a straight prism structure. The first, lower bars of the trusses span a substantially polygonal base surface. The second, upper bars of the trusses span a substantially polygonal cover surface congruent with the base surface, and two posts of two adjacent trusses each form a side edge of the truss structure module.

[0039] The first bars of a truss structure module according to the invention, whose trusses are aligned perpendicular to the water surface, can float in or on the water. Depending on the required working height and buoyancy, the second bars can also be designed as floating bodies and float in or on the water. If only the first bars act as floating bodies in a truss module according to the invention, the truss module protrudes with its cover surface above the water surface. In this case, the cover surface is therefore vertically spaced from the water surface. If, on the other hand, the bars of the cover surface are also intended to contribute to the buoyancy of a truss module according to the invention, the cover surface is preferably at water level.

[0040] These truss structure modules, which form modular base bodies for planar 3D load-bearing structures, for example, for the construction of a large-scale offshore truss structure, can be assembled both on land and at sea. Since the trusses are inherently rigid and braced, they are easy to transport, assemble, and manipulate. They can be assembled, for example, as a pre-assembly group on land using the corner connection assemblies according to the invention and then transported to the water, where they can be connected to more complex structures using connecting elements, such as extensions and brackets. This is especially true when the trusses are to be assembled in rough seas.

[0041] Bands can run along one or more spatial diagonals of the truss structure module. These bands are attached to the fixing elements of the corner connection assemblies and pre-tensioned by tensioning devices, thus keeping the truss structure module in shape. Of course, due to geometric considerations, this is only possible for truss structure modules that are constructed from at least four trusses according to the invention.

[0042] With these three-dimensional triangular, cuboid, or polygonal structures – i.e., the truss modules within the meaning of the invention – individually designed truss or supporting structures can be constructed, depending on the application, which can represent platforms or bracing or support devices, for example, for renewable energies or maintenance platforms or even for wind turbines or drilling platforms. Naturally, the trusses according to the invention can also be conceived as supporting structures for leisure bathing platforms or as equipment or rest platforms for diving. However, the field of application of truss structures connected according to the invention is not limited to this, so that, for example, driving bridges or similar are also conceivable. In any case, however, the truss structures can be modularly constructed, converted, and expanded by connecting truss structure modules according to the invention using connecting devices of the corner connection assemblies.

[0043] In the construction of a truss module according to the invention or in the construction of a truss structure according to the invention from truss modules, two or more corner connection assemblies form nodes. One or more floating bodies, supports, attachment holding devices, platforms, wind turbines, cranes, or the like can be attached to such nodes and / or to one or more of the transoms. Due to its stable construction, a truss structure module according to the invention offers reliable support for the components attached to it, even when it may be exposed to high loads, such as waves, on the high seas.

[0044] As already explained above, a floatable 3D truss structure can be modularly assembled from a large number of truss structure modules. The individual truss structure modules can be brought to the site of use as composite units that are inherently rigid and thus easily transportable, and then assembled there to form a floatable truss structure. For this purpose, the connecting devices of corner connection assemblies of a first truss module are connected to the connecting devices of corner connection assemblies of another truss module so that the two modules abut one another along a side surface formed by trusses according to the invention. The truss modules according to the invention connected in this way form four connections, which can each be formed, for example, by the extension of a first truss and the holder of a second truss.Such a floating truss structure can be modularly reduced or expanded at any time by removing or adding individual modules to the truss structure. The resulting floating truss structures can be used for floating support of holding devices, platforms, superstructures, and mountings for solar systems and / or wind turbines.

[0045] According to one embodiment of the invention, in a framework structure module according to the invention, a floating body can be arranged on one or more of the side edges so as to be movable in the vertical direction between the base surface and the cover surface.

[0046] Such lattice-structure modules can be used to construct a wave power plant in a modular manner, converting the movement of ocean waves into electrical energy. For this purpose, the floating bodies arranged on the side edges between the base and the deck are mounted on longitudinally movable lifting rods. These lifting rods are parallel to the posts and pass through the nodes formed by the corner connection assemblies. Oscillating movements of the waves can be transmitted by the floating bodies to the lifting rods, which rotate the drive shafts of linear generators that are operatively connected to the lifting rods to convert the kinetic energy into electrical energy.The corner connection assembly according to the invention, the framework according to the invention, and the modular framework modules according to the invention, as well as their assembly into extensive framework structures, are illustrated below by way of example using preferred embodiments with the aid of figures, whereby the figures and the embodiments shown therein do not limit the inventive concept. They show:

[0047] Figure 1 A truss structure in a disadvantageous embodiment in a first position in side view;

[0048] Figure 2 A truss structure in a disadvantageous embodiment in a second position in side view;

[0049] Figure 3 A truss structure in a disadvantageous embodiment in a first position in plan view;

[0050] Figure 4 A truss structure in a disadvantageous embodiment in a second position in plan view;

[0051] Figure 5 A framework according to the invention in isometric view;

[0052] Figure 6 A first embodiment of a corner connection assembly according to the invention;

[0053] Figure 7 The first embodiment of a corner connection assembly according to the invention in exploded view;

[0054] Figure 8 A further embodiment of a corner connection assembly according to the invention;

[0055] Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of a corner connection assembly according to the invention; Figure 10 shows a node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to the first embodiment;

[0056] Figure 11 A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to a second embodiment;

[0057] Figure 12 A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to a third embodiment;

[0058] Figure 13 A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to a fourth embodiment in an exploded view;

[0059] Figure 14 A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to the fourth embodiment in an isometric view;

[0060] Figure 15 A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to a fifth embodiment in an isometric view;

[0061] Figure 15A A node formed from corner connection assemblies according to the invention according to a sixth embodiment in a perspective view;

[0062] Figure 16 A truss structure according to the invention;

[0063] In the following description of the figures, the same reference numerals are used for the same or similar elements of different embodiments.

[0064] Figures 1 to 4 depict a disadvantageous embodiment of truss structures. A detailed description of these figures has already been provided in the introduction to the description, which is why reference is made thereto at this point. Figure 5 depicts a truss 50 according to the invention. The truss 50 according to the invention comprises a first transom 51 and a second transom 52, which is aligned parallel to the first transom 51 and held at a distance from it by two posts 53. The truss 50 according to the invention further comprises two struts 54 that diagonally brace the transoms 51 & 52 and the posts 53. The struts 54 can either be attached to the transoms 51 & 52 or held by corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention, more precisely by holding means 58 of the corner connection assemblies 1.The corner connection assemblies 1 further comprise fastening means 56 for connecting the bars 51 & 52 in their longitudinal direction, as well as receiving means 57 by means of which the posts 53 are in contact with the corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention. The four corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention form the four corners of a truss 50 according to the invention, as shown in Figure 5. Accordingly, each truss 50 according to the invention has four corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention. The trusses 50 according to the invention can be assembled into truss structure modules 70, which are composed of three or four trusses 50 according to the invention (see Figure 16).

[0065] Figures 6 to 9 show embodiments of corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention.

[0066] Figures 6 and 7 show a corner of a framework 50 according to the invention in an isometric view (Figure 6) and an exploded view (Figure 7), respectively, which is held together by means of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention, wherein the fastening means 56, receiving means 57 and holding means 58 each connect one end of a bar 51, a post 53 and a strut 54 to one another. The fastening means are designed as a flange which is arranged in the longitudinal direction 61 of a bar 51 and is fixed to the end face of the bar 51. On the side of the fastening means 56 facing away from the bar 51, an eye is formed for receiving a bolt 59, the longitudinal axis 69 of which represents a joint axis of a pivot joint. Further holding means 58 are rotatably connected to the bolt 59 by means of an eye, which connects a diagonally extending strut 54 to the corner connection assembly 1.The length of the struts 54 can be adjusted by means of tensioning devices 75, which in the present case are designed as perforated plates that can be connected to an eyelet of the struts by a bolt (not shown). By selecting a suitable hole in the perforated plate for connecting the strut 54, a prestress in the strut 54 and thus diagonal bracing of the truss 50 can be created, which holds a truss 50 according to the invention in shape after assembly. The bolt 59 also engages an eye of a receiving means 57, which connects a post 53 with a longitudinal direction 63 to the corner connection assembly. The receiving means 57 can, for example, have a receptacle into which a post 53 can be inserted, screwed, or clamped.By diagonally bracing a truss 50 by means of the struts 54, the post 53 is enclosed by two corner connection assemblies 1 arranged on opposite bars 51, 52 and fixed in its position. Alternatively, a post 53 can also be connected to the receiving means 57 by means of a screw or welded connection according to the invention. In a preferred embodiment, the post has opposing threads at its opposite ends, for example a left-hand thread at one end and a right-hand thread at the opposite end. In this case, both screw connections are loosened or tightened by rotating the post 53 in one direction. This enables the distance between two opposite receiving means 57 oran adjustment of the prestress present in the struts 54 when several trusses 50 are to be connected to one another, for example in order to form a truss module 70 according to the invention.

[0067] For connecting to other corner connection assemblies 1, a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention has a first connecting device 65, which is designed as an extension 62, and a second connecting device 66, which is designed as a holder 64. The first and second connecting devices 65, 66, or the extension 62 and the holder 64, are attached to opposite ends of the bolt 59, so that the length of the bolt 59 essentially determines the distance between the first and second connecting devices 65, 66. The connection of several trusses 50 to form a truss structure module 70 or to form a truss structure 85 by means of the connecting devices 65 and 66 will be discussed in more detail below in the course of the description of the exemplary embodiments, which show a node 90 according to the invention.

[0068] In order to optimally absorb the loads occurring during the inventive use of a buoyant truss structure 85 by the structural composite, the fastening means 56, the receiving means 57, and the holding means 58 are articulated to one another by the bolt 59, so that they can rotate relative to one another about a joint axis 59 oriented perpendicular to the truss plane. Bending moments that cause the bar 51 to bend in the truss plane and are caused, for example, by the vertical impact of a bar 51 on the water surface are thus not transferred from the bar 51 to the corner connection assembly 1 and therefore do not need to be supported by it.

[0069] A second relevant load case is the deflection of a bar 51 in the plane that is essentially spanned by the water surface or parallel to it and is thus horizontally oriented during intended use of a truss structure according to the invention. Such bending moments can be generated, for example, by the horizontal impact of oncoming waves on the truss structure. In order to be able to support the loads from horizontally oncoming waves, several options are available for constructing a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention. The rule of thumb is that the stiffer a corner connection assembly 1 is designed against rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post (hereinafter referred to as the vertical axis), the more load-bearing and resistant the corner connection assembly according to the invention must be, even when rotated about such an axis.Consequently, a corner connection assembly according to the invention can be rigid against rotation about the vertical axis, but more preferably can be elastically bent or moved about a vertical axis, wherein in the latter case further kinematic boundary conditions have to be taken into account, which will be discussed later.

[0070] In the case illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, a stiffening rib 55 is provided on the fastening means 56, which prevents the fastening means 56 from bending about the vertical axis. According to the illustrated embodiment, the fastening means and thus the corner connection assembly 1 are thus torsionally rigid about the vertical axis.

[0071] Figure 8 shows a similar embodiment of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention. In order to maintain the brevity of the present explanations, the description of features that are the same or similar to the previous embodiment will be omitted here and in the following.

[0072] In contrast to the previously illustrated embodiment, the fastening means 56 is longer in its longitudinal direction or in the longitudinal direction 61 of the bolt 51. In addition, the rib 55 on the side of the fastening means 56 is now more tapered. This means that the fastening means 56 shown in Figure 8 is elastically bendable about a longitudinal axis 53 of the receiving means 57 or the post 53. Due to the ability to elastically deform under the loads typically encountered at the site of use on the high seas, the fastening means 56 can deflect the loads to a certain extent, which reduces the stresses occurring in the component.Under certain circumstances, materials can be used to produce components of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention which, for example, are less resistant to mechanical loads, but have convincing properties such as seawater resistance or low mass.

[0073] Figure 9 shows a further embodiment of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention in an exploded view. In contrast to the previously described embodiments, the fastening means 56 in this embodiment are short in their longitudinal direction and thus rigid. The holding means 58 for receiving the struts 54 are located on the latch 51, whereby the struts 54 are directly connected in an articulated manner to the latch 51 and a clamping force is introduced directly into the latch 51. A further special feature is that the receiving means 57 are designed to receive a post 53 in the bolt 59. For this purpose, the bolt 59 can, for example, have a threaded bore into which a thread formed on one end of a post 53 is screwed. Alternatively, the bolt 59 can have a through-bore through which one end of a post 53 is passed and then fixed in position.This can be achieved, for example, by screwing a lock nut onto a thread formed on the post end or by locking or clamping the post end. Advantageously, the connection between bolt 59 and post 53 can be designed such that the position of post 53 and / or the distance between the two corner connection assemblies 1 to which it is connected can be adjusted to a certain extent in the direction of the longitudinal axis of post 53. Additionally or alternatively, it may also be desirable in this embodiment to ensure the adjustability of extension 62 in its receptacle in bolt 59.

[0074] Figures 10 to 14 show various embodiments of node points 90 according to the invention, which can be formed from corner connection assemblies 1. First and second connecting devices 65, 66 are preferably used for this purpose, wherein a first connecting device 65 of a first truss 50 can be connected to a second connecting device 66 of a second truss 50. At the same time, the second connecting device 66 of the first truss 50 can be connected to a first connecting device 65 of a third truss, etc. By connecting the first and second connecting devices 65 and 66 of trusses 50, which are arranged in a star shape, to one another, a node point 90 is created in both the top surface and the base surface of the truss structure 85 thus formed, which node point is formed by the corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention.In principle, at least two trusses 50 according to the invention can be connected to one another, although a plurality of trusses 50 according to the invention can also be connected to one another. In the illustrated embodiments, four corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention of trusses 50 are connected to form a node 90, by way of example.

[0075] Due to the inventive design and arrangement of the corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention, the corner connection assemblies 1 can be connected to one another one after the other to form a node 90. It is not necessary for all corner connection assemblies 1 to be connected to one another at the same time, because, for example, they are not fixed to one another by a single component. Furthermore, an essential property of a node 90 according to the invention is that there is space in its center or eye for accommodating components. For example, rods for supports or for attaching floating bodies can be passed through.

[0076] Figure 10 shows a first embodiment of a node 90 according to the invention. Each corner connection assembly 1 has a first connecting device 65 designed as an extension 62 and a second connecting device 66 designed as a holder 64. The extension 62 engages with the holder 64 of a first adjacent corner connection assembly 1. The holder 64 of the corner connection assembly 1, arranged on the opposite side of the truss plane, engages with the extension 62 of a further, second adjacent corner connection assembly 1, which is opposite the first adjacent corner connection assembly 1. For this purpose, the holders 64 have receptacles that are designed to be complementary to the ends of the extensions 62. In the present exemplary embodiment, a holder 64 is formed, for example, by two plates, by means of which the extension 62 of an adjacent corner connection assembly 1 can be enclosed.The node formed by connecting devices 65 and 66 is inherently rigid when integrated into a truss structure module or a truss structure according to the invention. While the pairing of extensions 62 and brackets 64 can, in and of themselves, allow rotation of the bracket 64 about a longitudinal axis of the extension 62, the connection of the fastening means 56 to the bars 51 prevents the bolts 59 of a node 90 from moving about the axes of the extensions 62. Thus, no parallel displacement of the elements of a node 90 relative to one another can occur. Only the fastening means 56, the receiving means 57, and the holding means 58 can pivot about the longitudinal axis 69 of the bolt, thus preventing / reducing the introduction of bending moments about the longitudinal axis of the bolt.

[0077] Figure 11 shows an embodiment of a node 90 according to the invention with similar kinematics as that shown in Figure 10. According to this embodiment, the fastening means 56 have fastening points for stiffening struts 92. The stiffening struts 92 each extend between two fastening means 56 and are designed such that they can be easily bent relative to the fastening means 56 connected to them when a fastening means 56 moves about the joint axis 69 defined by the bolt 59, for example because they are thin in the direction of a longitudinal axis 63 of the posts 53.However, the stiffening struts 92 offer a high resistance to an elongation which is caused, for example, when a fastening means 56 bends relative to the other fastening means about the longitudinal axis 63 of the post 53, so that the fastening means 56 can only deform slightly in this direction and no parallel displacement / twisting of the node point 90 occurs.

[0078] Figure 12 shows a further exemplary embodiment of a node 90 according to the invention. The holding means 58 for the struts 54 of the trusses

[0079] 50 are provided on the bars 51 in this embodiment. By displacing the holding means 58 from the node 90 to the outer surface of the bars 51, space is freed up in the nodes 90. In particular, for example, the receiving means 57 can be provided in the hinge pins 59, so that the fastening means 56 can be made short in their longitudinal direction 61 and the size of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention can be smaller and thus more rigid. In the embodiment variant shown in Figure 12, the fastening means 56 are also rotatable about a hinge axis 69 of a hinge pin 59 relative to the receiving means 57. In a framework 50 according to the invention, the bars

[0080] 51 relative to the posts 53 about the joint axis 69. Due to the high rigidity against bending parallel to the longitudinal axis 63 of the posts 53 and the high rigidity against twisting about the longitudinal axis 61 of the transoms 51, the critical parallel displacements described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 are prevented and, at the same time, reliable support of the truss components against loads caused by wind and waves is enabled.

[0081] The embodiment shown in Figures 13 and 14 pursues the concept of reducing the moment loads acting on a node 90 according to the invention about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis 63 of the posts 53. The bolts 59 provided in this embodiment receive the fastening means 56 in an articulated manner and are arcuate. The bolts 59 of a node 90 form a circular arc or a torus, the center or central axis of which lies in the eye of the node 90. Assuming that the first and second connecting devices 65 and 66, which are arranged at the ends of the bolts 59, are equidistant from the longitudinal axis 61 of the fastening means 56, a substantially circular node 90 results. The curved, bow-shaped or banana-shaped bolts 59 are received in the receiving means 57 in such a way that they can slide along the circular arc defined by the bolts 59.This allows mobility or rotation of the fastening means around the central axis of the node 90 defined by the bolts 59. The fastening means 56 can still pivot around the bolt 59 in the truss plane. In the exemplary embodiment shown here, cutting moments arising in the bars 51, which can be generated, for example, by slamming in the vertical or horizontal direction, cannot be passed on to the corner connection assembly 1. Only the moments in the torsional direction around the longitudinal axis 61 of the bars are transmitted to the corner connection assembly. This prevents tilting of the bolts 59 around the longitudinal axis 61 of the bars 51, thus preventing a parallelogram-like, diamond-shaped displacement of two superimposed nodes, as shown in Figures 1 and 2.At the same time, however, a joint is provided both transversely to the truss plane and in the direction of the central axis of the node 90, which prevents the introduction of moments about the joint axes into the node 90. Thus, the loads acting on a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention can be reduced, and at the same time, a diamond-shaped displacement of the node 90, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, can be prevented because the pivot axis is arranged in the center of the node 90 and not in the extension of the longitudinal direction 63 of the posts 53.

[0082] Figure 15 shows a node 90 formed from four corner connection assemblies 1 according to a further alternative embodiment. The fastening means 56 of the corner connection assemblies 1 have a fork-like opening through which the bars 51 are received. The fastening means 56 are designed to be flexible around a joint axis 69 of a plate-shaped joint element 59 transverse to the truss plane, such that elastic bending of the fastening means 56 and thus a rotational movement of the bars 51 about this axis 69 is possible. In the embodiment shown in Figure 15, the fastening means 56 have a small thickness in the direction of the longitudinal axis 63 of the posts 53, which is why the area moment of inertia determined with respect to the joint axis 69 is low.As in one of the previously described embodiments, the holding means 58 for fastening the struts 54 are designed at the ends of the bars 51, which is why the bracing forces provided by the struts 54 are introduced directly into the bars 51.

[0083] First and second connecting devices 65, 66 are formed on the projections of the fork-like opening of the fastening means 56. One of the two connecting devices 65, 66 has a plate-shaped section that can be fixed to a complementary connecting device 66, 65 of an adjacent truss in order to connect two corner connection assemblies 1 of different trusses 50 to one another. This plate-shaped section can either be formed integrally with the associated connecting device 65, 66 or provided as a separate component, which may be preferred for reasons of easier manufacture of the connecting devices 65, 66. In the embodiment shown here, the plate-shaped section is screwed to the fork of the fastening means 56.The plate-shaped section is designed to allow elastic relative movement between the bars 51 of adjacent corner connection assemblies 1 within the framework of elastic deformation. Fixing means 69 are formed on the plate-shaped section, by means of which straps 68 for diagonally bracing truss structure modules 70 can be fastened to the nodes 90. The straps 68 can run both in surfaces and in spatial diagonals of a truss structure module 70 according to the invention. By diagonally bracing truss structure modules 70 according to the invention, their torsional rigidity can be increased. At the same time, the truss structure modules 70 can be transported as a unit to the site of use on a body of water after they have been assembled, and there they can be assembled to form a modularly expandable, floating truss structure 85.Figure 15A shows a further, sixth, exemplary embodiment of a corner connection assembly 1 according to the invention, in which the fastening means 56 are designed substantially symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis 61 of the bars 51 and 52, respectively, and are composed, for example, of two layers of stamped parts. The fork-like gripping of the ends of the bars 51 and 52 is retained, similar to the embodiment of Figure 15, but is designed in two layers, respectively, so that bending in the plane of the longitudinal axes 61 of the bars 51 and the longitudinal axes 62 of the bars 52 is prevented.In order to enable partial rotation of the bars 51 / 52 relative to the posts 53 according to the invention, a joint element 59 is arranged for each corner connection assembly 1 between the receiving means 57 of the posts 53 and the holding means 58 for the struts 54, which can be part of the fastening means 56, so that the bars 51 / 52 and the associated posts 53 can rotate / move relative to one another about a joint axis 69 by elastic deformation of the joint element 59.

[0084] To further simplify the corner connection assembly 1, the fastening means 56 have extensions 62 on both sides along the ends of the bars 51 / 52, which can be connected to brackets 64 that are part of a triangular connector 45 that can connect two corner connection assemblies 1. The triangular connector 45 can thus be designed symmetrically, with each side of the triangular connector 45 having a female connection receptacle 64 that can receive an extension 62 (male connection element) of a corner connection assembly 1.The triangular connector 45 can be rotatably fixed with a connecting pin 43 in fastening eyes 46 in the fastening means 56, so that when two half-timbered fences 50 are not screwed together, they can be rotated like a hinge about a rotation axis 44 of the connecting pin 43 parallel to the longitudinal directions of the posts 53, which facilitates the assembly of three-dimensional half-timbered modules, in particular on a water surface.

[0085] Figure 15A further shows an arrangement of two trusses 50 at an angle greater than 90° to one another, with the triangular connector 45 being connected to the extensions 62 of the fastening means of the corner connection assembly 1 of the right truss 50. The triangular connector has an opening angle of 90°, so that in order to finally connect the two trusses 50 shown in Figure 15A, they must be pivoted relative to one another about the rotation axis 44 of the connecting pin 43 so that the not yet connected extensions 62 can be secured to the fastening means 56 of the corner connection assembly 1 of the left truss 50.

[0086] Preferably, each layer 42 of the fastening means 56 of a corner connection assembly 1 is assigned a fastening eye 46, so that a fastening eye 46 is arranged on each side of the truss plane, and the fastening means 56 can thus be used as identical parts for all ends of the bars 51 and 52, whereby the two layers 42 of the fastening means 56 can also be designed as identical parts. In this way, two fastening means 56 together form a hinge-like receptacle for the connecting pin 44.

[0087] The triangular connector 45 is also preferably formed in two layers from two approximately triangular-shaped identical parts 41, wherein the two identical parts 41 sandwich the fixing means 68 for fixing diagonal bracing straps 67. Preferably, the two identical parts 41 of the triangular connector 45 are constructed from triangular plates, the free leg of which, between two trusses 50, can simultaneously be seen as a strut 92, which fixes and supports the angular position of two trusses 50 connected via a triangular connector 45. The integrated strut 92 is additionally stiffened by incorporating the fixing means 68.

[0088] Figure 16 shows a floating truss structure 85 constructed from a plurality of truss structure modules 70, which can be used, for example, on bodies of water, particularly on bodies of water with strong waves, for example offshore, for the floating support of platforms, wind turbines, or photovoltaic systems. The truss structure 85 consists of four truss structure modules 70, each with four trusses 50 according to the invention. By means of the corner connection assemblies 1 according to the invention, both the trusses 50 and the truss structure 85 are joined together to form a supporting structure 85, which is braced by means of bands 67 connected to fixing means 68 in the surface and space diagonals.Floating bodies 100 are movably arranged at some corners of the lattice modules 70 or are fixed to the lattice structure 85, depending on whether wave energy is to be tapped by means of the floating body movement or whether the floating bodies are merely intended to increase the buoyancy of the lattice structure 85. The lattice structure 85, which can be used offshore, according to Figure 16, has a variety of renewable energy generators, for example photovoltaic modules, wind turbines, and also point absorbers for converting wave energy into electrical current, which are movably attached to the lattice structure 85. Such an offshore support structure 80 can be anchored to the waterbed by means of a mooring system 87 and thus used as a type of floating island for energy generation, storage, and distribution.

[0089] Overall, the inventive buoyant framework 50 can be used to provide a multitude of possible framework structure modules 70 or framework structures 85 for a multitude of different applications on a body of water, of which the application shown for a wave power plant 200, as shown in Figure 16, represents only one example of many. Within the meaning of the invention, all framework structures 85 according to the invention can be modularly expanded with the basic assembly of the framework 50 according to the invention and thus enlarged. Furthermore, the simple construction of the frameworks 50 and the framework structure modules 70 enables simple assembly according to the invention, which later also represents reduced maintenance effort, since any damaged components can be easily and modularly replaced. List of Reference Symbols

[0090] 1 Truss corner connection 64 Bracket assembly 65 First connecting device

[0091] 41 Common part position

[0092] 42 Position fasteners 66 second connecting device

[0093] 43 connecting pin

[0094] 44 Rotation axis Connecting pin 67 Bands 68 Fixing means

[0095] 45 Triangular connector 69 Joint axis perpendicular to

[0096] 46 Fastening eyes truss level / longitudinal axis bolt

[0097] 50 truss 70 truss structure module

[0098] 51 Bar, first bar 75 Clamping device

[0099] 52 second bars 80 checkerboard-like compartments

[0100] 53 post structure

[0101] 54 Strut 85 Truss structure

[0102] 55 Stiffening rib 87 Mooring

[0103] 56 fasteners 90 nodes

[0104] 57 Supporting devices 92 Stiffening struts

[0105] 58 Holding device 95 Load direction

[0106] 59 Joint element / bolt 100 Float

[0107] 61 Longitudinal direction of the bars 200 Wave power plant

[0108] 62 Extension 250 Lifting rod

[0109] 63 Longitudinal direction of post

Claims

Claims 1. A truss corner connection assembly (1) for forming a corner of a substantially planar truss (50), wherein the corner connection assembly (1) is suitable for connecting at least one beam (51) and a post (53) of the truss (50) extending substantially perpendicular to the beam (51), wherein the corner connection assembly (1) comprises: - Fastening means (56) for attaching a bolt (51) to the Corner connection assembly (1), - Mounting means (57) for receiving a post (53) at the Corner connection assembly (1), - a joint element (59) with a longitudinal axis (69) perpendicular to the Truss level for the articulated connection of the fastening means (56) with the receiving means (57). Corner connection assembly (1) according to claim 1, wherein the fastening means (56) additionally comprise retaining means (58) for articulated connection of a strut (54) to the corner connection assembly (1).

3. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening means (56) are received via the hinge element (59) such that elastic movement of the fastening means (56) about a pivot axis parallel to a longitudinal axis (63) of the receiving means (57) is provided.

4. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, comprising a first connecting device (65) and a second connecting device (66) arranged opposite with respect to the truss plane, which are for connecting the first connecting device (65) of the corner connection assembly (1) to a second connecting device (66) of a further corner connection assembly (1), or for connecting the second The connecting device (66) of the corner connection assembly (1) is configured with a first connecting device (65) of a further corner connection assembly (1).

5. Corner connection assembly (1) according to claim 4, wherein the first connection device (65) has a projection (62) and the second connection device (66) has a support (64) designed to be complementary to the projection (62), wherein the projection (62) of a first corner connection assembly (1) can be received by a support (64) of a further corner connection assembly (1), or the support (64) of the first corner connection assembly (1) can receive a projection (62) of the further corner connection assembly (1).

6. Corner connection assembly (1) according to claim 5, wherein the position of the extension (62) in relation to the support (66) is adjustable along a longitudinal direction (63) of the receiving means (57).

7. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the extension (62) is designed as a threaded pin with conical ends and the holder (64) has two plates which have mutually facing receptacles that are at least partially complementary to the conical ends of the pin, with which the pin can be received and can be attached to the corner connection assembly (1) via the plates.

8. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the connecting devices (65, 66) are arranged at the respective end regions of the joint element (59), preferably a bolt (59).

9. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein fastening points are provided on the fastening means (56) for attaching stiffening struts (92), by means of which several are connected to each other connected corner connection assemblies (1) can be stiffened against bending about a bending axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the receiving means (57).

10. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, the joint element (59) of which is designed as a joint bolt (59) in the form of an arc, the central axis of which of the arc is parallel to the longitudinal axis (63) of the receiving means (57), wherein the bolt (59) is received in the fastening means (56) in such a way that the fastening means (56) are movable about the central axis of the arc with respect to the receiving means (57).

11. Corner joint assembly (1) according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the joint element (59) is a joint bolt (59) which is preferably elastically deformable or has elastically displaceable receptacles for the fastening means (57) along the bolt axis.

12. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the fastening means (56) is designed as a flange on the latch side.

13. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a rotational position of the bolt (59) relative to an eye of the receiving means (57) receiving the bolt (59) can be locked by an anti-rotation device.

14. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the corner connection assembly (1) has fixing means (68) for fixing straps (67) by means of which three-dimensional truss structure modules can be diagonally braced.

15. Corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the elastic pivoting movement of the fastening means (56) about the pivot axis in the range of ± 10° with respect to the truss plane (55) is possible.

16. Floating truss (50) for the modular construction of a floating three-dimensional truss structure (80), comprising two substantially parallel beams (51), two posts (53) for substantially parallel support of the beams (51) and two struts (54) for diagonal bracing of the truss (50), wherein a corner connection assembly (1) according to one of the preceding claims is arranged in each corner of the truss (50), by which each end of a beam (51) and a post (53) is articulated to each other.

17. Truss according to claim 16, wherein at least one of the two bars (51) is designed as a float and / or additional floats are arranged on it.

18. Truss according to one of claims 16 or 17, wherein the struts (54) of the truss (50) are received by retaining means (58) of the corner connection assemblies (1) and are provided with locking, clamping, blocking and / or tensioning devices for adjusting the length of the struts (54) and for tensioning the truss (50).

19. Floatable, checkerboard-like truss structure (80) formed from at least two trusses (50) according to one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the trusses (50) are arranged to float substantially on the water surface and are aligned parallel to it and are connected in a checkerboard pattern to form a structure extending along the water surface by means of the connecting devices (65) of the corner connection assemblies (1).

20. Floating, checkerboard-like truss structure (80) according to claim 19, wherein in free fields (52) of the checkerboard-like, floating truss structure (80) not occupied by trusses (50) according to any one of claims 16 to 18, bands (67) provided with tensioning devices are fixed and tensioned on the fixing means (68) of the corner connection assemblies (1), such that the free fields are held in shape by means of the bands (67), or are diagonally tensioned.

21. Floatable three-dimensional truss structure module (70) formed from at least three trusses (50) according to one of claims 16 to 18, which are connected to each other to form a straight prism structure by means of the connecting devices (65) of the corner connection assemblies (1), wherein first beams (51) of the trusses (50) span a substantially polygonal base surface, second beams (52) of the trusses (50) span a substantially polygonal top surface congruent to the base surface, and two posts (53) of two adjacent trusses (50) each form a side edge.

22. Truss structure module (70) according to claim 21, which is constructed from at least 4 trusses (50) according to one of claims 16 to 18 and in which bands (67) extending along one or more spatial diagonals of the truss structure module are fixed to the fixing means (68) of the corner connection assemblies (1) and are prestressed by means of tensioning devices (75) so that the truss structure module (70) is kept in shape.

23. Truss structure module (70) according to one of claims 21 or 22, in which one or more floating bodies (100), or mountings, attachment device holders, platforms, wind turbines, cranes or the like can be attached to one of the nodes (90) formed by two or more corner connection assemblies (1) and / or to one or more of the bars (51).

24. Truss structure module (70) according to one of claims 21 to 23, in which a floating body is movably arranged in a vertical direction between the base and the top surface on one or more of the side edges.

25. A modular, floating truss structure (85) constructed from a plurality of truss structure modules (70) according to one of claims 21 to 24, or a floating, checkerboard-like truss structure (80) according to one of claims 21 to 24. Claims 19 to 20 for the floating support of holding devices, platforms, superstructures, mountings for solar power plants and / or wind power plants.

26. Floating truss structure (80, 85) according to claim 25, in which extensions (62) are arranged on both sides along the ends of the bars (51, 52) on the fastening means (56) of the corner connection assemblies (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, which can be connected to brackets (64) that are part of a triangular connector 45 for connecting two corner connection assemblies 1.

27. Wave power plant (200) which is modularly constructed from a plurality of truss structure modules (70) according to one of claims 21 to 26, wherein the floats (100) arranged on the side edges between the base and the deck surface are arranged on longitudinally movable lifting rods (250) which are parallel to the posts (53) and which are guided through the nodes (90) formed by the corner connection assemblies (1), so that oscillating movements of the lifting rods (250) driven by the floats (100) can set drive shafts of linear generators into rotation which are operatively connected to the lifting rods (250).

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