Patent Application
20250188732
The present disclosure is generally directed to a structural support system that may include weld-free connections.
In the live entertainment industry, welded structures are typically used to support multi-media systems utilized in productions, such as theatrical events or concerts. These welded components suffer from the drawback that they are heavy and require very skilled fabricators to maintain joint quality and tolerances. In addition, portions of welded structures cannot be easily removed for repair or replacement. Further still, the assembly of welded support structures may require complex and expensive manufacturing methods, requiring complicated and/or expensive tools.
A known application for welded components includes portable and/or modular supporting components for equipment or displays, such as video displays, such as used in touring shows. These supporting structures, for example, for temporary outdoor or indoor productions, require a structure that is flexible, adjustable, and portable. When being used as part of a touring production, these structures can be subjected to physical strain related to the varied environments and the setting up and tearing down of the shows. Structures for supporting components may frequently be assembled/disassembled and handled by individuals of varying level of skill. In addition, temperature changes and/or other environmental stressors (for example, wind or changes in humidity) may occur due to local conditions at the venue, exposure during transportation, or other environmental factors to which the components are exposed. Such exposure may, for example, cause cyclical expansion and contraction of welded support structures, making these components susceptible to damage, particularly at the joints. In known systems, in order to provide joints that withstand these stressors, manufacturers have relied upon welded joints to fabricate these support components, which result in expensive, heavy, and difficult-to-manufacture equipment that require skilled fabricators.
More generally, welded support structures require two pieces of metal to be welded in place. Other common uses for these welded support structures can be found in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding, mining, oil and gas distribution, vehicle manufacturing, aerospace, military, and heavy industries. Welded support structures, particularly welded structures formed from aluminum, such as trusses, suffer from the drawback that they require significant time and energy to provide the necessary welds, making the manufacture of these structural elements complicated and expensive.
Therefore, there is an unmet need to provide lighter weight structures supporting lighting display components, such as video components, that are easily fabricated, have components that are separable, serviceable and/or replaceable, and have joints that are resistant to stressors encountered by portable and/or modular support components. What is needed is a structural system that can be assembled without welding that does not suffer from the drawbacks of the welded support structure. Other features and advantages will be made apparent from the present specification. The teachings disclosed extend to those embodiments that fall within the scope of the claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the aforementioned needs.
The application generally relates to structural components, including a truss element having corner elements and wall cavities that may receive a connecting member via slot openings formed by selectively removal of a portion of the corner elements.
One embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a truss element to form a structural support system. The truss element includes at least one wall forming a void space extending along a first dimension of the truss element. The void space includes a geometry to receive at least a portion of a connecting member of a connecting element. At least one corner element extends along the first dimension of the truss element adjacent the wall. A slot opening formed in a portion of the corner element provides access to the void space of the wall. The access permits at least partial insertion of the connecting member into the wall.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a structural support system. The structural support system includes a truss element. The truss element has at least one wall forming a void space extending along a first dimension of the truss element. The void space has a geometry to receive at least a portion of a connecting member of one or more connecting elements, and at least one corner element extending along the first dimension of the truss element adjacent the wall. The truss element also includes a slot opening in a portion of the corner element providing access to the void space of the wall. The connecting member is at least partially inserted into the wall and a securing element extends through the wall and the connecting member to secure the connecting element to the truss element.
Another embodiment of the present disclosure includes a method of assembling a structural support system. The method includes providing a truss element having at least one wall forming a void space extending along a first dimension of the truss element. The void space has a geometry to receive at least a portion of a connecting member of a connecting element. The truss element also includes at least one corner element extending along the first dimension of the truss element adjacent the wall. A slot opening is formed in the corner element and provide access to the wall. One or more connecting members are inserted through the slot opening into the wall. A securing element is positioned through the wall and connecting member to secure the one or more connecting elements to the truss element.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the preferred embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts.
Unless otherwise explained, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include “and” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “includes” means “comprises.” All patents and publications mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety, unless otherwise indicated. In case of conflict as to the meaning of a term or phrase, the present specification, including explanations of terms, control. Directional terms, such as “upper,” “lower,” “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” “vertical,” and “horizontal,” are used herein to express and clarify the relationship between various elements. It should be understood that such terms do not denote absolute orientation (e.g., a “vertical” component can become horizontal by rotating the device). The materials, methods, and examples recited herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.
The supporting system according to the present disclosure may be useful in various production stage support, working station support, construction safety support, and other load bearing supporting needs. The present disclosure relates to the system and method of using a structural system that has a reduced or eliminate reliance on welds to create connections. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a support system with a truss element that can be connected, extended, assembled, and disassembled with flexible and customizable configuration without needing of welding. The support system according to embodiments of the present disclosure is configured to be a lightweight but efficient load bearing structure. The support structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured to be modular and mobile, for example with wheels, for location and position adjustment or for the support structure transportation in part or as a unit. The support structure may be configured into various subassemblies and assemblies for using with other devices and/or equipment housed and/or supported with the supporting structure. An advantage of embodiments according to the present disclosure is that the assembly and support structure that is easier to manufacture, is less expensive, provides more modularity, portability, and more flexibility for configuration adjustment, which are particularly useful for stage and lighting support structures for live and/or touring entertainment productions. Unlike a conventional supporting structure, the support structure according to the present disclosure includes efficient and flexible configurations to provide support for various production needs, such as supporting lighting, sound, automation elements or other production equipment. The support system may be configured into various geometric structures. For example, the support system may be assembled in one configuration and disassembled and reconfigured to a different size and structure, depend on the desired use without welding. One embodiment of the present invention includes a custom aluminum truss element that allows high strength structural double shear connections between members using different sizes of slotted and coil or rolled pins. Another advantage of the present disclosure includes a method where the weld-free connections of the member joints are not exposed to the thermal conditions that results during welding. These thermal conditions may have an adverse effect on connection strength. With the process according to the present disclosure, connections retain the original alloy temper designation. Heat exposure in example of 6061-T6 Aluminum could reduce strength up to 50%. By eliminating the need for welding in the connections within the truss assembly, it is understood that any metal or non-metal materials with proper strength and weight may be utilized without the thermal effects.
To provide access to the void space 103 of wall 106, one or more slot openings 110 are formed in the corner element 104. While not so limited, the slot openings 110 may be formed by selective removal of a portion of the corner element 104. The forming of the slot opening 110 may be accomplished utilizing any suitable technique or process. For example, selective removal may include machining the corner element 104 to form slot opening 110. In another embodiment, the slot opening 110 may be formed during manufacture of the body of the truss element 100, such as during additive manufacture (e.g., 3D-printing) or metallurgical forming (e.g., casting, forging, etc.). This forming results in a slot opening 110 in a geometry or configuration that provides access to the void space 103 of the wall 106. The void space 103 corresponds to the geometry of a connecting member 202 of a connecting element 204. The access to the void space 103 permits at least partial insertion of the connecting member 202 into the wall 106. In certain embodiments, the slot opening 110 may be larger than the cross-sectional geometry of the connecting member 202. In addition, the number of slot openings 110 is not limited and may include any suitable number of slot openings 110 corresponding to the connecting members 202 to be inserted into the void space 103 of wall 106. In other embodiments, a slot opening 110 may be configured to permit insertion of connecting members 202 of varying geometries to allow flexibility of configuration.
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in
In one embodiment, the connection between the truss element 100 and the connecting member 202 is weld-free. While not so limited, as shown in
As shown in
In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, as shown in
While not so limited, connecting elements 204 may be further connected to bridging members 212. Bridging members 212 may be structural or non-structural members. For example, as shown in
In one embodiment, the connections within the structural support system 300, including the connections between the truss element 100, the connecting element 204 and, optionally the bridging members 212, are weld-free.
In other embodiments, the connecting element 204 may be a unitary component. For example, as show in
In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of the disclosed invention may be applied, it should be recognized that the illustrative embodiments are only preferred examples of the invention and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.
While the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures and described herein are presently preferred, these embodiments are offered by way of example only. Accordingly, the present application is not limited to a particular embodiment but extends to various modifications that nevertheless fall within the scope of the appended claims. The order or sequence of any processes or method steps may be varied according to alternative embodiments.
It is important to note that the construction and arrangement of the various exemplary embodiments is illustrative only. Although only a few embodiments have been described in detail in this disclosure, those skilled in the art who review this disclosure will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible (e.g., variations in sizes, dimensions, structures, shapes and proportions of the various elements, values of parameters, mounting arrangements, use of materials, colors, orientations, etc.) without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the subject matter recited in the claims. For example, elements shown as integrally formed may be constructed of multiple parts or elements, the position of elements may be reversed or otherwise varied, and the nature or number of discrete elements or positions may be altered or varied. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present application. The order or sequence of any process or method steps may be varied or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. In the claims, any means-plus-function clause is intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions and arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the present application.
This application is a non-provisional patent application claiming priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/607,615, filed Dec. 8, 2023, entitled “WELD-FREE STRUCTURAL SUPPORT SYSTEM”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63607615 | Dec 2023 | US |
