Telescoping Mast Actuators Nested for Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing telescopic masts for military applications lack a simple, efficient, and sturdy solution that ensures rapid extension and collapse, reliability, and safe operation under extreme conditions, often failing due to single-point failures and complex actuator systems.
Innovation Solution
The telescopic mast features actuators offset at the inner periphery of telescoping sections, providing redundancy and protection, allowing independent operation of each joint without external connections, using gas springs or other actuators, and a draw wire for extension and collapse, ensuring the mast remains functional even with damaged components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If actuators are mounted externally on telescoping sections, then the mast can be extended and collapsed, but the actuators become visible targets and the system becomes mechanically complex with external connections
Solution Approach 1:
The actuators are nested within the telescoping sections themselves, with each actuator housed inside a telescoping section and extending into the adjacent section. This nesting arrangement conceals the actuators within the mast structure, eliminating external visibility while maintaining full operational functionality for extension and collapse.
2Length of stationary object
If actuators are serially connected, then the collapsed mast length is limited to the sum of actuator lengths, but the mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator system is segmented into multiple independent actuators, each housed in its own telescoping section. Each actuator operates independently to extend or collapse its adjacent telescoping sections, eliminating the need for complex serial connections. This segmentation allows the collapsed mast to achieve lengths shorter than the sum of individual actuator lengths, as multiple actuators can overlap within the same telescoping section.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuators are arranged in a radial pattern around the circumference of the telescoping sections rather than being connected in a linear series. This dimensional change from linear to radial arrangement allows actuators to overlap and share space within the same telescoping section, significantly reducing the collapsed mast length while simplifying the mechanical connection requirements.
3Device complexity
If a single actuator is used per telescoping joint, then the mechanism is simpler, but the system is vulnerable to single-point failures
Solution Approach 1:
Each telescoping joint is equipped with multiple actuators distributed around its circumference, creating local redundancy at each joint. This local quality enhancement ensures that if one actuator fails, the adjacent actuators can still provide sufficient force to extend or collapse the telescoping sections, maintaining overall system reliability without requiring a complete redesign of the actuator mechanism.
4Ease of operation
If actuators are positioned at the ends of telescoping sections, then extension is achieved, but the actuators are exposed and vulnerable to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The actuators are nested within the telescoping sections, with each actuator housed inside a telescoping section and extending into the adjacent section. This nesting arrangement protects the actuators from external damage while maintaining their ability to push adjacent sections apart for extension and allow collapse when retracted.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design enables rapid and reliable extension and collapse of the mast, maintaining full functionality despite actuator damage, with reduced noise and complexity, and provides a stable, lightweight structure using carbon fibre reinforced epoxy tubes, ensuring operation in extreme conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The actuators may be of any suitable type, for example gas springs
Implementation Method 2
the telescoping sections are drawn together by a draw wire which is fastened internally at an inner end of the telescopic mast
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
The present invention concerns a telescopic mast (1) which at least includes one or more telescoping joints (2), where a telescoping joint consists of two telescoping sections dimensioned so that one section can be moved into another section, where between each of two adjacent telescoping sections in a telescoping joint there is provided at least one actuator (6) urging the adjacent telescoping sections away from each other, where these actuators are disposed internally of the telescoping joints and offset at the internal periphery. By disposing actuators offset at the inner periphery of the telescoping sections, several advantages are achieved. The actuators are provided at a protected location, and the actuators may be designed with lengths overlapping each other when the telescopic mast is collapsed.