A carpentier joint is a hinge consisting of several thin metal strips of curved cross section. It has two configurations: closed and open. The defining property of the joint is that it is self-opening, does not need mechanical elements such as guides, and maintains a certain degree of stiffness when in the open configuration.
The hinge is used in antenna deployment, solar arrays and sensor deployment in satellite applications.
References
Carpentier joint Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA