EP0753634A1

EP0753634A1 - Tent structure

Info

Publication number: EP0753634A1
Application number: EP95304919A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jehkun Lah
Original assignee: DONGAH ALUMINUM Co Ltd
Current assignee: DONGAH ALUMINUM Co Ltd
Priority date: 1995-07-13
Filing date: 1995-07-13
Publication date: 1997-01-15

Abstract

A tent structure comprises a truss configuration formed on the lower portion of a main supporting pole (1,2) in order to reinforce the lower portion of a tent (10). Furthermore, a tent structure comprises an auxiliary supporting pole (4,5) coupled in a truss configuration to a main supporting pole (1,2) in order to afford a structural strength having the flexibility with respect to the height of a tent (10).

Description

Background of the Invention

The invention is related to providing a tent structure, and in particular, to providing a tent structure for enabling a tent to be supported by a truss configuration support structure.

Prior Art

A conventional tent includes only a structure supported with the tension force of its own skin and the bending strength of supporting poles being mutually connected. But, the tent can not only maintain its structural shape without the skin, but also is easily put out of shape by external force.
Also, contemporary tents have become much larger following the increased bending strength of supporting poles. Generally, a method for preventing the stress of a tent by external forces or increasing the strength of the tent structure was to enlarge the diameter of supporting poles as well as to increase the number of supporting poles. This method is reversed to the tendency for manufacturing a lighter tent and has disadvantages in that the cost of materials for poles is expensive, thereby increasing the cost for manufacturing the tent. Therefore, the tent should be designed to develop a new structure.
Herein, it is very advantageous to provide a predetermined strength of a tent even using conventional poles without reinforcing its own skin in order to increase the strength of the tent.
Accordingly, the main object of the invention is to provide a new tent structure for affording a predetermined strength to a tent without reinforcing the tent skins.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new tent structure for coupling an auxiliary supporting pole to a main supporting pole in a truss configuration, thereby affording a structural strength having the flexibility in height with respect to a tent.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a new tent structure for adapting the truss configuration to the lower portions of the main pole, thereby reinforcing the strength of the tent's lower portion.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, a tent structure comprises a truss configuration formed on the lower portion of the main supporting pole in order to reinforce the lower portion of a tent. Furthermore, a tent structure comprises an auxiliary supporting pole coupled in a truss configuration to a main supporting pole in order to afford a structural strength having the flexibility in height with respect to a tent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating a tent structure of one embodiment adapting the truss configuration to the lower portion of a supporting pole used in a dome type tent according to the invention;
Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the connector of a first embodiment used in forming the truss configuration at the lower portion of a supporting pole according to the invention;
Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the connector of a second embodiment according to the invention;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the connector of a second embodiment according to the invention; and
Fig. 5 is a view illustrating a tent structure of another embodiment using a truss configuration as a main supporting pole and an auxiliary pole according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring to Fig. 1, a tent 10 is a dome type tent of X-character, at the apex point A of which main supporting poles 1 and 2 are crossed and attached to each other. The tent 10 includes auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5 attached to the position B of the main pole at the predetermined height h by means of a connector(as described below in detail). The auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5 are constructed in a truss configuration to make the shapes of B-C-B' and B-C-B'' centering on the position B. The configuration enables the main supporting pole to be supported only by the axial load to increase the structural bending strength. In other words, a supporting pole of a straight line type has a maximum deflecting(curving) ratio relative to its center load, and its deflecting ratio or bending stress δ is expressed as follows: $δ = \frac{{P x l}^{3}}{48 x E x I}$
Wherein, E is an elasticity coefficient, I is a moment of inertia, P is a center load and l is a length of a supporting pole.
Based on the formula, the greater the full length of a supporting pole becomes, the larger the bending stress δ increases in a geometrical series. Thus, if the height of the tent becomes higher, it should require a larger diameter and thickness of the poles.
For example, assuming that the full length of the main supporting pole 1 is 4m, and each of the distances from a position B to a position C and from a position D to a position E is 1m, the proportion between the bending stress applied to the full length of the poles and the bending stress applied to the distance of the position B to a position C or the distance of the position D to the position E is 8 : 1. Thus, it is noted that the main supporting pole 10 supported in a truss configuration by auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5 is superior to a pole not constructed as a truss configuration by eight times in respect to its strength. At that time, the main supporting poles 1 and 2 require a connector to form the truss configuration with auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5.
As shown in Fig. 2, a connector 20 comprises a supporter 21 inserted into the predetermined position of a main supporting pole 1 and a fixture 22 attached to the supporter 21, on both sides of which cap portions 26 and 27 are mounted with each of the auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5 being supported received. The supporter 21 includes a body in the form of a cylinder and a positioning fixture 23 determining the fixing position to be inserted into the main supporting pole, in which the positioning fixture 23 is inserted into the body to contact with the main supporting pole 1 or to be supported in the hole of the main supporting pole 1, and also the fixture 21 includes a projector 24 integrally extended therefrom in a position faced against the positioning fixture 23. Therefore, a supporting plate 25 having a hole is inserted onto the projector 24 to couple the fixture 22 to the supporter 21 along with auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5, so that the pole supporting pole 1 forms a truss configuration by means of auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5.
Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a connecter 30 according to the invention. The connecter 30 includes a circular plate in a truncated cone configuration. The connecter 30 has a main hole 31 formed on one side thereof and auxiliary holes 32 and 33 formed in a triangle shape to the main hole 31, into which the auxiliary supporting poles 4 and 5 are inserted. Herein, the main hole 31 is perforated in the slant of 15^o to 30^o to the vertical line in order to install the main supporting pole 1 at an angle of 60^o to 75^o. The auxiliary holes 32 and 33 are perforated in the slant of around 30^o to the vertical line.
Fig. 4 shows another embodiment of the connecter according to the invention. The connector 40 is curved in a predetermined length as a bar configuration of a tube type. In other words, the connecter 40 includes a main hole 41 enabling the main supporting pole 1 to be inserted into the center portion thereof and extending portions 42 and 43 having receiving portions 42 and 45 to be fitted therein, which is extended leftward and rightward by a determined distance from the main hole 41 and then the extending portions are curved downward. Therefore, the connecter 40 establishes the truss configuration by inserting auxiliary supporting poles into extending portions 42 and 43, respectively, with the main supporting pole 1 being inserted therein.
On the other hand, according to the invention, the truss configuration enables auxiliary supporting poles to reinforce the lower portion of a main supporting pole as well as to support a tent body.
As shown in Fig. 5, a tent structure 50 comprises at least main supporting poles 51, 52 and at least two auxiliary supporting poles 53, 54, which are staggeringly crossed against one another to form a truss configuration.
Namely, the main supporting poles 51 and 52 determining the height of a tent are fixed to the ground, so that both of their ends are sloped at a predetermined angle. The auxiliary supporting pole 53 passes at a predetermined height over one side of the main supporting poles 51 and 52, so that they are fixed at their intersecting point (a) to one another by means of a connecter or the tent skin. Therefore, the main supporting pole 51 and the auxiliary supporting pole 53 have a point b, contacting the main supporting pole 51 with the ground, and a point c, on the other hand, contacting the auxiliary supporting pole 53 with the ground, to form the truss configuration (a, b, c). Similarly, the main supporting poles 51 and 52 and the auxiliary supporting pole 53 are coupled in a truss configuration to one another. Accordingly, the tent structure 50 is constructed as the truss configuration to have the axial load at the point a, thereby reducing the bending stress based on the center load of the supporting poles and remarkably improving the strength of the tent structure.

Claims

A tent structure comprising:
main supporting poles and auxiliary supporting poles, in which at least one auxiliary supporting pole is coupled in a truss configuration to the main supporting pole.
The tent structure as claimed in Claim 1, further comprising:
a connecter coupling at least one auxiliary supporting pole to the main supporting pole.
A tent structure comprising:
an auxiliary supporting pole is crossed over at least one main supporting pole and coupled to one another to form a truss configuration.