WO1996009447A1

WO1996009447A1 - Modular space frame

Info

Publication number: WO1996009447A1
Application number: PCT/US1995/012177
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jeffrey B. Iverson
Original assignee: Iverson Jeffrey B
Priority date: 1994-09-23
Filing date: 1995-09-22
Publication date: 1996-03-28

Abstract

A modular structural system is used in constructing tetra/octahedral space frames, scaffolded platforms, and columnar truss elements. The system is comprised of triangular (1), tripodal (5), and hexapodal (23) elements that are assembled to form tetrahedral (22) and octahedral (21) modules that are then nested, stacked, and connected together to form various types of static structures.

Description

MODULAR SPACE FRAME

Background of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus of portable modular structures . Such structures can be used as scaffolding, shoring, space framing, trussing and modular staging.

It is widely known in such varied industries as building construction and maintenance, entertainment, and trade shows, that there is a need for temporary structures. In the building construction and maintenance industry, this need takes the form of scaffolding and shoring. In the entertainment industry, the needs range from scaffolded stages to lighting trusses to audience grandstands. In the trade show industry, the need is for temporary display arenas and booths. The three current methods of constructing temporary trussed structures are:

(1) scaffold and shoring technology; (2) hub and strut modular space frame technology; and 3) welded box truss.

These prior art methods have certain disadvantages. Most current scaffold and shoring technology uses vertical loadbearing members which are cross braced to afford lateral stability. This method of constructing scaffolds and shoring requires the use of extremely heavy vertical members, does not allow for groups of modules to be moved together as units, and is incapable of cantilever. These problems are addressed by the modular space frame/scaffold system disclosed in Beeche U.S. Patent No. 5,203,428. However, Beeche' s system requires additional pieces of connection hardware, and is limited to a single pentahedral module. Additionally, the components in Beeche's system do not disassemble for efficient storage.

Beeche's system is also limited to spanning structures.

The other current manner of erecting space frame structures is to affix a plurality of struts to a hub or nodal connector. There are two basic types of hub and strut systems. The first is a system in which the hubs and struts are transported completely disassembled into individual parts. Leung U.S. Patent No. 5,056,291; Sanderson U.S. Patent No. 5,097,645; Arciszewski U.S. Patent No. 4,866,902; and VanVliet U.S. Patent No. 4,355,918 are all examples of this type of hub and strut system. The second type of hub and strut system is a system in which struts are permanently affixed via hinges to their respective hubs. Motohashi et al Patent #5,125,206 and the Nomad collapsible truss line are examples of this second type of hub and strut system. In this type of system the hubs and struts travel together in a partially assembled condition. While both systems are effective in creating stable spanning structures and allow for efficient storage, they both have certain disadvantages. The first type of system has an assembly process that is too time consuming, as each end of each strut must be precisely aligned with the corresponding hole or tab in the hub or nodal connector. The second type of system allows for rapid assembly, but is limited to one size and shape per assembly. A rectangular space frame assembled from one of these types of systems that is six bays long by seven bays wide is always the same size and shape when erected. These systems do not allow for assembly into a variety of configurations. Welded box truss, the third method of creating temporary trussed structure, allows for rapid assembly and is suitable for both spanning and bearing a load to the ground. However, welded box truss does not disassemble for efficient storage nor is it suitable for assembly into a variety of space framing configurations. In view of the problems with the prior art systems, it is desired to have an improved modular structural system. Summary of the Invention

The present modular space frame uses collapsible tetrahedral and octahedral modules which are complete structural units unto themselves (have their own structural integrity) , but contain connectors at their nodes which allow these modules to be stacked or nested together into a space frame or truss arrangement. Utilizing collapsible hinged components allows for efficient storage of the system when not in use. By first constructing complete structural modules from collapsible hinged components rather than independent hubs and struts, and then stacking or nesting these modules together, the number of alignment maneuvers, and thus assembly time, is greatly reduced. Utilizing a cellular structural paradigm allows for assembly into a wide variety of configurations.

A modular system comprised of complete structural modules instead of struts and hubs also allows for rapid adaptation of the structures to the changing demands of temporary applications. Groups of connected modules can be disconnected from the main body of the structure intact . These groups can then be moved together as a unit to a new location. If one disconnects a group of modules from a hub and strut system, either the disconnected group or the main body of the structure would be weakened by the resulting lack of struts along the points of disconnection.

The assembly of the tetrahedral and octahedral modules is performed rapidly by combining triangular elements with tripods and hexapods, respectively. Tripods comprise three legs connected together into a hinge. Hexapods comprise six legs connecting to six hinges. One advantage with the present systems is ease of construction. To form a tetrahedron from struts and hubs requires twelve alignment maneuvers, two for each of the six struts of the tetrahedron. To form a tetrahedron out of a triangle and a tripod requires only three alignment maneuvers, one for each of the three hinged feet of the tripod. To form an octahedron out of hubs and struts requires twenty-four alignment maneuvers, two for each of the twelve struts of the octahedron. To form an octahedron out of two triangles and a hexapod requires only six alignment maneuvers, one for each hinge of the hexapod.

Not only does the disclosed modular system require fewer alignment maneuvers than a hub and strut system, but the individual alignment maneuvers themselves are also simplified, since the connection can be maintained by a sprung lever contained within the node of the triangular element. This eliminates the need for additional pieces of hardware. In addition, the holes in the nodes of the triangular elements can be tapered to match the tapered protrusion of the hexapod knuckles, tripod unions and tripod feet so that the alignment maneuvers require less precision than the alignment maneuvers of prior art systems. The alignment of the assembled modules is further simplified by alignment nubs on the underside of the lower triangular and hexagonal platform elements with corresponding alignment recessions on the topside of the upper triangular elements. Thus, a distance is maintained between the modules until alignment is achieved, at which point the alignment nubs seat themselves into the alignment recessions. Additionally, when a temporary space frame is formed, modules from the center can be removed. In that way, the structure acts as scaffolding for itself.

The disclosed system is also adaptable to a wider variety of applications than any prior art modular structural system. The disclosed system is suitable for both spanning or bearing a load to the ground. The present structures in a small scale would also be useful as a toy building model or construction set.

The present modular structural system is:

(a) lightweight, portable and efficient to store;

(b) adaptable to a wide variety of applications,-

(c) triorthogonal (based on triaxial geometries) ,- and

(d) rapidly assembled and disassembled

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other features and aspects of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled octahedral module;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an assembled tetrahedral module; Figure 3 is a perspective view of three assembled tetrahedral modules and one upper triangular element;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of seven assembled octahedral modules nested together;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a secondary tetrahedral module;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of three assembled tetrahedral modules and three octahedral modules combined to form a tower structure;

Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a hexagonal platform, an upper triangular element, a lower triangular element, and a foldable hexapod;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of seven octahedral modules, seven hexagonal platforms and six triangular platforms combined to form a scaffolded platform of roughly circular shape; Figure 9 is a section through an upper hexapod knuckle, a lower hexapod knuckle, an upper triangle and a lower triangle;

Figure 10 is an cut away perspective view of the couplers;

Figure 11 is a plan view of seven assembled octahedral modules nested together to form a space frame;

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the triangular elements indicating the location of the couplers and the sprung levers,-

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the hexagonal platform indicating the location of the cleats,-

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the half hexagonal platform indicating the location of the cleats,- Figure 15 is a perspective view of the triangular platform indicating the location of the cleats; and

Figure 16 is a perspective view of four assembled pentahedral modules and one upper square element.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an assembled octahedral module 21. The octahedral module 21 is comprised of an upper triangular element 1A, a lower triangular element IB, six legs 2A2F and six hexapod knuckles 3A3F. The triangular elements 1A and IB contain male couplers 4A and female couplers 4B at their nodes such that the assembled octahedral module can be nested triorthogonally with horizontally adjacent octahedral modules to form a space frame structure. The hexapod knuckles 3A3F serve a dual purpose. First, they provide a hinged connection between the leg 2 and the triangle 1 via the shoulder bolt 7. This hinged connection is important in that it allows for the use of a variety of leg lengths to vary the height or diameter of the assembled octahedron 21. Second, the hexapod knuckles 3A3F also provide a means of connection with vertically adjacent octahedral and tetrahedral modules. The upper hexapod knuckles 3A, 3C and 3E contain female couplers 4B, and the lower hexapod knuckles 3B, 3D and 3F contain male couplers 4A, such that when the assembled octahedral modules are stacked vertically, the upper hexapod knuckles 3A, 3C and 3E of the lower octahedral module are coupled with the lower hexapod knuckles 3B, 3D and 3F of the upper octahedral module, capturing the triangular elements 1A and IB between them. Figure 9 illustrates this concept most clearly, as it is a section through this connection.

An alternate embodiment includes the use of upper and lower triangular elements which contain vertical and horizontal connectors at their nodes which are adapted to receive the ends of six individual legs. This method would reduce the amount of space necessary to store the system, but would increase assembly time. Another alternate embodiment includes the use of a plurality of triangular elements adapted to assemble into tetrahedral and octahedral modules which contain connectors at their nodes. This method is effective if the application only requires a single tetrahedral module and a single octahedral module, but does not allow for constructing a variety of different modules from the same components .

Alternately, three pairs of hinged legs could be used in place of a hexapod. This method also reduces storage requirements, but increases assembly time.

Another embodiment includes the use of triangular elements to which legs are hinged at each apex. Two of these triangular elements would be combined to form an octahedron. One of these triangular elements would be combined with a tripod union to form a tetrahedron. These tetrahedral and octahedral elements would be adapted to contain connectors at their nodes such that they could be nested and stacked to form space frames and trusses . The disclosed system includes using a variety of hexapods and tripods each having different leg lengths, and the use of different sized horizontal support elements. In the preferred embodiment the proportions of these triangular horizontal support elements are such that three of the smaller triangular elements nest together to match the size of one of the larger triangular elements. An additional embodiment includes the use of legs whose lengths are variable, thus eliminating the need for different sized hexapods and tripods, as each hexapod and tripod would be adjustable to multiple sizes. This method is suitable for lightduty scaffolding, staging and space framing, but would not afford sufficient compression strength for shoring or heavyduty scaffolding. Another additional embodiment includes the use of a sprung pin, stage pin, or camlock connector in place of the couplers 4A and 4B. This method would further reduce assembly time, but again would limit the system to lightduty use. Another embodiment for use with the octahedral modules 21 is to use a cable or chain to connect the top hinges and another cable or chain to connect the bottom hinges, rather than using stiff triangular elements. When the octahedral module is under a vertically compressive load, the cable or chain will always be under tension; thus the octahedral module will remain stable.

The manner of assembling the octahedral module 21 shown in Figure 1 is to place a lower triangular element

IB on a flat surface, and insert the protruding portions of the lower hexapod knuckles 3B, 3D and 3F into the holes in the nodes of the lower triangular element IB, where they are captured by the sprung lever 17.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of an assembled tetrahedral module 22. The tetrahedral module is comprised of one triangular element IB, one tripod union 5A, three legs 2G, 2H and 21, and three hinged tripod feet 6A, 6B and 6C. The tetrahedral module 22 gets used both upside down and right side up in the system. Thus the tripod union 5A and the tripod feet 6A, 6B and 6C contain either male couplers 4A or female couplers 4B, depending on the application.

The manner of assembling the tetrahedral module 22 is to place a lower triangular element IB on a flat surface, and insert the protruding portions of the tripod feet 6A, 6B and 6C into the holes in the nodes of the lower triangular element IB, where they are captured by the sprung lever 17 as shown in Figure 9.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of three assembled tetrahedral modules 22 and one upper triangular element 1A. This figure is an illustration of the manner in which the tetrahedral modules 22 are combined to form a space frame structure.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of seven assembled octahedral modules 21 nested together. This figure is an illustration of the manner in which assembled octahedral modules 21 are combined to form a space frame structure. Note that the legs of hexapods on neighboring modules form redundant elements. This redundancy is acceptable due to the ease of assembling the temporary structure, and because the redundancy allows for a module or group of modules to be disconnected from the main body of the structure intact and moved to a new location without weakening the main body of the structure or the group of modules. Such a redundancy would not likely be found in a permanent structure. The manner of connecting either of the modules 22 or

21 of Figure 1 to horizontally or vertically adjacent modules is to apply a drill equipped with an alien or socket wrench to the rear of the bolt 13 within the male coupler 4A, thus rotating the bolt 13 so that it moves toward and engages the female coupler 4B, which is then drawn into a locked position with the male coupler 4A, as shown in Figures 9 and 12.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a secondary tetrahedral module 24. This tetrahedral module is comprised of a triangular element 1A, one tripod union 5B, three legs 2G, 2H and 21, three tripod feet 6A, 6B and 6C, a screwjack screw 18, a screwjack collar 19, and a screwjack foot 20. This tetrahedral module provides a connection to the ground which is adjustable to the requirements of uneven terrain.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of three assembled tetrahedral modules 22 and three octahedral modules 21, combined to form a tower structure. This figure is an illustration of the manner in which octahedral modules 21 can be stacked, and the manner in which the tetrahedral

22 and octahedral 21 modules can be combined. Note that the octahedral modules 21 have the advantage that they can form columnar structures. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of a hexagonal platform 8, an upper triangular element 1A, a lower triangular element IB, and a foldable hexapod 23. Note that the upper triangular element 1A, lower triangular element IB, and foldable hexapod 23 form an octahedral module 21. In the preferred embodiment, the hexagonal platform 8 is a single injection molded part, which contains six pairs of cleat slots 27A and six couplers 4 mounted vertically near the apices of the hexagon. The couplers 4 near the apices allow for connection to the hexapod knuckles 3 of the octahedral module 21 or tetrahedral module 22 below. The cleat slots 27A allow for the hexagonal platform 8 to be connected to horizontally adjacent platforms. The system is also understood to include halfhexagonal 9 and triangular 10 platforms, which can be combined with the hexagonal platforms 8 to form a variety of platform shapes. The cleat slots 27A allow for adjacent hexagonal platforms 8 , halfhexagonal platforms 9 or triangular platforms 10 to be hung from the hexagonal platforms 8 that are attached to the support structure as previously described.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of seven octahedral modules 21, seven hexagonal platforms 8, and six triangular platforms 10, combined to form a scaffolded platform of roughly circular shape.

The manner of attaching the hexagonal platforms 8 to the top of an assembled group of modules is to place a hexagonal platform 8 on top of an upper triangular element 1A, manipulate the platform until the alignment nubs seat themselves, and then apply a drill equipped with an alien or socket wrench to the rear of the bolt 13 within the male coupler 4A, thus rotating the bolt 13 so that it moves toward and engages the female coupler 4B, which is then drawn into a locked position with the male coupler 4A The manner of connecting a halfhexagonal platform 9 to three of the hexagonal platforms 8 is to lower the halfhexagonal platform 9 into position so that the cleats 27B attached to the halfhexagonal platform 9 seat themselves into the cleat slots 27A in the hexagonal platform 8 . The manner of connecting a triangular platform 10 to two of the hexagonal platforms 8 is to lower the triangular platform 10 into position so that the cleats 27B attached to the triangular platform 10 seat themselves into the cleat slots 27A in the hexagonal platform 8 .

II Figure 9 is a section through an upper hexapod knuckle 3A, a lower hexapod knuckle 3B, an upper triangle 1A and a lower triangle IB. This is an illustration of the manner in which the couplers 4A and 4B are contained within the hexapod knuckles 3A and 3B. It also indicates the location of the sprung lever 17, that is contained within the node of the triangular elements 1A and IB. This sprung lever 17 is the method of connecting the hexapod knuckle 3, tripod union 5 and tripod feet 6 to the triangular elements 1A and IB. This figure illustrates that, when the male coupler 4A contained within the lower hexapod knuckle 3B is connected to the female coupler 4B contained within the upper hexapod knuckle 3A, the upper and lower triangular elements 1A and IB are captured between the hexapod knuckles 3A and 3B.

Figure 10 is an cut away perspective view of the couplers 4A and 4B, a male tube sheath 12, a male sheath insert 16, a bolt 13, a bolt spring 15, and a retention clip 25. The female coupler 4B is comprised of a tube sheath 11 and a threaded sheath insert 1 . When the bolt 13 is rotated, it moves toward and engages the threaded sheath insert 14 in the female coupler 4B and draws the female coupler 4B into a locked position. . Other known types of connectors can be used with the modular structures discussed above.

Figure 11 is a plan view of seven assembled octahedral modules 21 nested together to form a space frame. This figure illustrates the triorthogonal manner in which the octahedral modules 21 nest together. This figure also illustrates an advantage of the triorthogonal geometries of the present invention over rectilinear geometries . Hexagonal grids have a structural integrity superior to square grids because the hexagonal units nest together in alternating rows rather than straight lines, thus there are no straight "fault" lines along which the structure can be sheared. Looking at figure 11, the central hexagonal element interrupts a straight line which runs horizontally across the page between the left and right pairs of hexagons. Likewise, the central hexagon interrupts two other straight lines which run 30 degrees and negative 30 degrees off vertical . This staggering of lines of connection affords the hexagonal grid its superior integrity. Additionally, the hexagonal grid is more flexible in its uses than rectilinear grids. While squares and rectangles align in two directions, hexagonal elements align in three directions.

Figure 12 is a perspective view of the triangular elements 1A and IB indicating the location of the couplers 4A and 4B and the sprung levers 17 .

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the hexagonal platform 8 indicating the location of the cleat slots 27A and couplers 4. The triangular shaped areas are voids in the underside of the platform 8. The cleat slots 27A near the apices, also serve as handholds when transporting the platform 8.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the half hexagonal platform 9, indicating the location of the cleats 27B.

Figure 15 is a perspective view of the triangular platform 10 indicating the location of the cleats 27B.

An alternate embodiment of the present invention uses hinged elements to form pentahedral modules . Figure 16 is a perspective view of four assembled pentahedral modules and one upper square element 36. The pentahedral unit 30 comprises hinged element 34 and a square support element 32. The hinged element 34 com prises four legs 34b attached to a top hinge part 34a. Four hinged feet 34c connect to the square support element 32. Because this alternate embodiment uses hinged elements, this embodiment has the advantage of being able to form a stable, flexible, collapsible, rapidly assembled structure like the other structures discussed above. However, the use of the pentahedral units has the disadvantage that it uses rectilinear geometries. The advantage of the embodiments that use triaxial geometries is discussed above.

Various details of the apparatus and method are merely illustrative of the invention. It will be understood that various changes to the details may be within the scope of the invention, which is to be limited only by the appended claims.

REFERENCE NUMBER LIST

1A UPPER TRIANGULAR ELEMENT

IB LOWER TRIANGULAR ELEMENT

2A-2I LEGS

3A-3F HEXAPOD KNUCKLE

4A MALE COUPLER

4B FEMALE COUPLER

5A S 5B TRIPOD UNIONS

6A-6C TRIPOD FEET

7 SHOULDER BOLT

8 HEXAGONAL PLATFORM

9 HALF HEXAGONAL PLATFORM

10 TRIANGULAR PLATFORM

11 FEMALE SHEATH

12 MALE SHEATH

13 BOLT

14 THREADED SHEATH INSERT

15 SPRING 6 MALE SHEATH INSERT 7 SPRUNG LEVER 8 SCREWJACK SCREW 9 SCREWJACK COLLAR 0 SCREWJACK FOOT 1 OCTAHEDRAL MODULE 2 TETRAHEDRAL MODULE 3 HEXAPOD ASSEMBLY 5 RETENTION CLIP 7A CLEAT SLOT 7B CLEAT 0 PENTAHEDRAL UNIT 2 SQUARE ELEMENT 4 HINGED ELEMENT 4A TOP HINGE 4B LEGS 4C HINGED FEET 6 UPPER SQUARE ELEMENT i

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. An octahedral element comprising:

first and second triangular support elements;

a hexapod comprising a first top hinge connected to a first leg and a second leg, a second top hinge connected to a third leg and a fourth leg, a third top hinge connected to a fifth leg and a sixth leg, a first bottom hinge connected to the first leg and the sixth leg, a second bottom hinge connected to the second leg and the third leg, and a third bottom hinge connected to the fourth leg and the fifth leg,- wherein the first, second and third top hinges are connected to the first triangular support element and the first, second and third bottom hinges are connected to the second triangular support element.

2. The octahedral element of claim 1, wherein the hexapod is adapted to bend at the hinges such that the hexapod can attach to other triangular support elements having different sizes than the first and second triangular support elements.

3. The octahedral element of claim 1, wherein the hexapod is adapted to bend at the hinges such that the hexapod can be stored such that the first, second and third top hinges are adjacent one another and such that the first, second and third bottom hinges are adjacent one another.

4. The octahedral element of claim 1, further comprising a hexagonal platform connected to the first triangular support element.

5. The octahedral element of claim 1, wherein the first and second triangular support elements and the hexapod are connected with sprung levers.

6. The octahedral element of claim 1, further comprising couplers within the nodes of the octahedral element which can be used to connect additional octahedral elements to said octahedral element .

7. The octahedral element of claim 6, wherein the couplers comprise pairs of male and female couplers, the male couplers comprising a bolt in a sheath that screws into a threaded insert in the female coupler.

8. The octahedral element of claim 7, wherein the male coupler further comprises a spring captive in the sheath of the male coupler, the spring adapted to maintain the bolt within the sheath of the male coupler until the bolt screws into the female coupler.

9. A modular staging system comprising:

modules comprising octahedral elements and/or tetrahedral elements adapted to connect together with each other,-

hexagonal platforms attached to at least some of the modules, the hexagonal platforms shaped such that the hexagonal platforms connect together when horizontally adjacent modules are connected together; and

additional platform elements including halfhexagonal shaped units connectable to three of the hexagonal plat forms or additional platform elements, and triangular shaped units connectable to two hexagonal platforms or additional platform elements, wherein the hexagonal platforms and additional platform elements are shaped such that they can be connected together to form rectangular surfaces.

10. The modular staging system of claim 9, wherein at least some of the modules are octahedral elements comprising first and second triangular support elements,- a hexapod comprising a first top hinge connected to a first leg and a second leg, a second top hinge connected to a third leg and a fourth leg, a third top hinge connected to a fifth leg and a sixth leg, a first bottom hinge connected to the first leg and the sixth leg, a second bottom hinge connected to the second leg and the third leg, and a third bottom hinge connected to the fourth leg and the fifth leg; wherein the first, second and third top hinges are connected to the first triangular support element and the first, second and third bottom hinges are connected to the second triangular support element.

11. The modular staging system of claim 9, wherein the modules are connectable stacked on top of one another as well as being connectable to horizontally adjacent octahedral elements.

12. The modular staging system of claim 9, wherein the triangular shaped units and the hexagonal shaped platforms can be arranged to form a roughly circular shaped platform.

13. The modular staging system of claim 9, wherein the hexagonal platforms and the additional platform elements are connectable by platform cleats located near the apices of the respective platforms.

14. A method of forming a space frame comprising:

assembling together at least two octahedral elements, each element assembled by connecting three hinges of a hexapod unit to a first triangular support element and connecting another three hinges of the hexapod unit to a second triangular support element; and

connecting together the at least two octahedral elements to form a structure.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said assembly step further comprises unfolding the hexapod unit from a stored position, the hexapod in the stored position having the three hinges adjacent to one another and the another three hinges adjacent to one another.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising removing octahedral elements from the structure to form a final structure defining a partially enclosed space.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of attaching hexagonal platforms to certain of the octahedral elements.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of attaching additional platform elements to some of the hexagonal platforms.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional platform element attaching step comprises attaching halfhexagonal shaped units to three of the hexagonal platforms or additional platform elements, and attaching triangular shaped units to two hexagonal platforms or additional platform elements to form a variety of platform shapes.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein horizontally adjacent octahedral elements are connected by couplers in the nodes of the triangular support elements by having a sprung bolt from a male coupler screw into a threaded female coupler.

21. A method of forming a temporary space frame comprising:

forming modules which each define a volume space, each module including at least one triangular element and each module having its own structural integrity;

thereafter, connecting the modules together to form a temporary space frame structure; and

thereafter disassembling the temporary space frame structure.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the assembly step involves assembling the modules together such that there are redundant elements parallel and adjacent to each other in neighboring modules.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising, between the connecting and the disassembling step, the steps of disconnecting multiple modules from one location on the space frame and moving these multiple modules to a different location on the space frame.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein said assembly step is aided by elements of the modules comprising hinged elements that reduce the aligning required to form the modules .

25. A structure comprising multiple modules each defining a volume, each module having its own structural integrity, and each module including at least one unitary triangular element, wherein the modules are adapted to be connected together at said unitary triangular elements.

26. The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules contain hinged elements.

27. The structure of claim 26, wherein the structure comprises at least three modules, each of the at least three modules comprising a triangular element connected to a tripod comprising a top hinge connected to three legs, each of the three legs being connected to a corner of the triangular element, wherein the triangular element of each of the at least three modules contact each other,- and further comprising an additional triangular structure connected to the top hinge of the tripod at each of the at least three modules.

28. The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules comprise two triangular elements connected by three hinged elements with two legs per hinged element .

29. The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules comprise first and second triangular support elements; and a hexapod comprising a first top hinge connected to a first leg and a second leg, a second top hinge connected to a third leg and a fourth leg, a third top hinge connected to a fifth leg and a sixth leg, a first bottom hinge connected to the first leg and the sixth leg, a second bottom hinge connected to the second leg and the third leg, and a third bottom hinge connected to the fourth leg and the fifth leg,- wherein the first, second and third top hinges are connected to the first triangular support element and the first, second and third bottom hinges are connected to the second triangular support element.

30 The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules comprise a plurality of triangular elements arranged into an tetrahedral shape.

31 The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules comprise a plurality of triangular elements arranged into an octahedral shape.

32. The structure of claim 25, wherein at least some of said modules comprise two triangular elements connected by six individual legs into an octahedral shape.

33 The structure of claim 32, wherein the two triangular elements each have three of the six legs hinged to the triangular elements' three corners.

34. The structure of claim 25, wherein said structure comprises a space frame.

35 The structure of claim 25, wherein said structure comprises a toy model.

36 An apparatus comprising:

a hexapod including a first top hinge connected to a first leg and a second leg, a second top hinge connected to a third leg and a fourth leg, a third top hinge connected to a fifth leg and a sixth leg, a first bottom hinge connected to the first leg and the sixth leg, a second bottom hinge connected to the second leg and the third leg, and a third bottom hinge connected to the fourth leg and the fifth leg,- wherein the first, second and third top hinges define a top plane and wherein the first, second and third bottom hinges define a bottom plane, and wherein the hexapod is adjustable such that the top and bottom planes are parallel.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising a first triangular support element laying in the top plane and connected to the first, second and third top hinges and a second triangular support element laying in the bottom plane and connected to the first, second and third bottom hinges.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising a cable or chain laying in the top plane and connecting to the first, second and third top hinges and another cable or chain laying in the bottom plane and connected to the first, second and third bottom hinges.

39. A structure comprising multiple modules each defining a volume, each module having its own structural integrity, and each module including a unitary element supplying horizontal support for the structure and including at least one hinged element having at least two legs connected by a hinge, said at least one hinged element connected to the unitary element and supplying vertical support for the structure, wherein the hinged element and the unitary element form a temporary connection which is reversible for disassembly, and wherein the modules are adapted to be connected together to form said structure.

40. The structure of claim 39, wherein said unitary element comprises a first triangular element and wherein the module further comprises a second triangular element, and said hinged element is a hexapod comprising a first top hinge connected to a first leg and a second leg, a second top hinge connected to a third leg and a fourth leg, a third top hinge connected to a fifth leg and a sixth leg, a first bottom hinge connected to the first leg and the sixth leg, a second bottom hinge connected to the second leg and the third leg, and a third bottom hinge connected to the fourth leg and the fifth leg; wherein the first, second and third top hinges are connected to the first triangular element and the first, second and third bottom hinges are connected to the second triangular element.

41. The structure of claim 39, wherein said unitary element comprises a rectangular element and wherein said hinged element comprises a quadripod comprising four legs connected to a central hinge, wherein the four legs of the quadripod are connected to the corners of the rectangular element.

42. The structure of claim 39, wherein said unitary element comprises a triangular element and wherein said hinged element comprises a tripod com prising three legs connected to a central hinge, wherein the three legs of the tripod are connected to the corners of the triangular element.