<h2>Armadillo Flip</h2>
<p>That's what I found:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/pvGG8.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/pvGG8.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><sub><em><a href="https://gumrukdeposu.net/en/baby-care-products/5475-mamas-papas-armadillo-flip-xt-stroller-bebek-arabasi.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></em></sub></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/2ubOo.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/2ubOo.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p><sub><em><a href="https://www.solucionescontract.com/en/producto/armadillo-garden-swing/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></em></sub></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/zbSPX.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/zbSPX.png" alt="chair" /></a></p>
<p><sub><em><a href="https://www.homecrux.com/armadillo-chair-shields-your-child-inside-a-shell-like-space/22306/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a></em></sub></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T09:28:52.607Z
I don't think you read the question..
Soft Bullets
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T09:34:37.573Z
I did, the folding canopy mechanism where arc-shaped spines are hinged around a central pivot in some places is called Armadillo Flip    (Google it)
Danielillo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T10:11:23.113Z
Hmm... The Armadillo Flip is definitely a pram. But there might be something in the word `armadillo`, so I thank you for this keyword. I'm not going to mark the answer as correct because it hasn't actually answered my question. I still don't know what the mechanism is called.
Soft Bullets
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T10:20:33.343Z
Do you know what an armadillo is and how it retracts its shell?
Danielillo
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T11:01:14.540Z
Yes, I know what an armadillo is. Do you know what the *name of this mechanism* is? ...because you are not actually answering my question. You are providing a visual list of products that have the *word* "Armadillo" in them (named so because the mechanism _resembles_ an armadillo's shell). I understand, there's no need to patronise... I thanked you for the reference . But the answer is not correct. This is not called "armadillo mechanism," is it?
Soft Bullets
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T09:24:37.550Z
2022-05-07T10:27:06.480Z
2022-05-07T10:27:06.480Z
Danielillo
<p>Honestly, as far as I can tell, <strong>there doesn't seem to be a specific widely known name</strong> for this kind of folding canopy mechanism.  That's not to say that it doesn't <em>have</em> a name, but that all of the names and terms I've found are either so generic that they could apply to many different kinds of folding mechanisms, so obscure that they're likely to draw blank stares from most people (and few search results from Google) even if they're familiar with the mechanism, or they have multiple meanings that can confuse people (and Google) if you use them without additional context.</p>
<p>That said, if you really want a name for it, I do have one for you:</p>
<hr />
<h2>It's a <em>calash top</em>.</h2>
<hr />
<p>Specifically, the term <a href="http://www.wordsmith.org/words/calash.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">calash</a> (also spelled <em>caleche</em> or <em>calèche</em>) can refer to:</p>
<ol>
<li>a type of horse-drawn carriage (also known as a <em>barouche</em>) with a soft folding hood over the rear seats, using a folding mechanism similar to what you depict;</li>
<li>a <em>calash top</em>, the folding top of the aforementioned carriage, or one similar to it; or</li>
<li>a <em>calash bonnet</em>, a type of 18th century women's headgear resembling the hood of the calash carriage, and also using a similar (although simpler) folding mechanism.</li>
</ol>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln%27s_carriage_(barouche),_c._1860-1865,_on_loan_from_the_Studebaker_National_Museum,_view_2_-_National_Museum_of_American_History_-_DSC00334.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/PidhO.png" alt="Picture 1" /></a> <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Calash_Bonnet.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/88OTO.png" alt="Picture 2" /></a><br />
<sub>Pictures: 1) A calash or barouche carriage, showing the distinctive folding top. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln%27s_carriage_(barouche),_c._1860-1865,_on_loan_from_the_Studebaker_National_Museum,_view_2_-_National_Museum_of_American_History_-_DSC00334.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Photo</a> taken by Wikimedia Commons user <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Daderot" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Daderot</a> in the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, and released to the public domain via the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">CC-Zero 1.0</a> public domain dedication. 2) A green silk taffeta calash bonnet. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Calash_Bonnet.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Photo</a> courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, via Wikimedia Commons.</sub></p>
</blockquote>
<p>If you do a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=calash&amp;tbm=isch" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Google image search for <em>calash</em></a>, you'll probably get about an even mix of the headgear and the carriages.  And, of course, a bunch of random results like hotels and companies and health supplements named &quot;Calash&quot;, as well as a mix of other types of horse-drawn carriages that may or may not be properly called calashes, despite not having the distinctive calash top.  A <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=calash" rel="nofollow noreferrer">general web search</a> first brings up a bunch of dictionary definitions, followed by mostly of random pages.</p>
<p>Wikipedia has an article for the carriage (under <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barouche" rel="nofollow noreferrer">barouche</a>), but apparently none for the headgear yet, although it <em>is</em> mentioned in the general article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnet_(headgear)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">bonnets</a>.  At least Wikimedia Commons has pictures of both the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Barouches" rel="nofollow noreferrer">carriages</a> and the <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Calashes" rel="nofollow noreferrer">headgear</a>.</p>
<p>All in all, it does not seem to be a widely used term at all.  But it's probably the best name there is for what you're looking for.</p>
<p>At least, for what it's worth, if you <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=%22calash%22+baby+cart&amp;tbm=isch" rel="nofollow noreferrer">search Google for <em>&quot;calash&quot; baby cart</em></a> (with quotes to force the word &quot;calash&quot; to be included in the results), you'll get a bunch of images showing baby carriages with similar hoods as in your question.  Then again, searching e.g. for <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=convertible+baby+cart&amp;tbm=isch" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><em>convertible baby cart</em></a> also brings up a very similar set of images.  <a href="https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/calash" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Some sites</a> even claim that &quot;calash&quot; can be a generic synonym for a baby carriage, or at least for the kind with a folding top.  So take it for what it's worth.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-09T07:18:13.123Z
Thanks for the thorough response. Although I believe we have reached the same end result (that there is no universal name for the mechanism), I appreciate a) the time you have taken to research b) your honesty in this outcome. I'm marking this answer as correct unless someone can prove otherwise.
Soft Bullets
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-08T13:20:25.983Z
2022-05-08T13:20:25.983Z
Ilmari Karonen
<p>What is the name of this folding canopy mechanism where arc-shaped spines are hinged around a central pivot?:</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/BL5ss.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/BL5ss.png" alt="Pram hood" /></a></p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/tVCl9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/tVCl9.png" alt="Ikea childrens' chair cover" /></a></p>
<p>I have googled high and low and coming up blank... feel like I'm missing a vital keyword! (<code>hood</code>, <code>parasol</code>, <code>concentric</code>, <code>collabsable</code>, <code>folding</code>, <code>retractable</code>, <code>nested</code> ... ). It must have a name... </p>
<p><em>Context: I'm trying to build a &quot;ladybird&quot; cover for a festival trolley for our 18 month old daughter who is coming to Glastonbury festival with us this year.</em></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T16:25:50.503Z
So you're looking for the name of the multi-segment hinge rather than the name of canopy that results when you use it?
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T16:53:24.137Z
Honestly: either. I'm building a canopy, so if that had a name I'd take it. If the mechanism of the hinge/spindle and spines/arcs has a name, that would also be helpful!
Soft Bullets
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-07T17:22:17.860Z
Canopies and other items made using that type of mechanism seem to be commonly referred to as "armadillo", as identified in Danielillo's answer. There are a number of ways to make such a mechanism (all loops on the same pivot vs. loops on separate pivots like the garden swing picture). As far as a search term, that might be hard to beat. What are you actually searching for (pre-made hinge hardware, a DIY design)? Looking at a few examples, you would have the flexibility to just copy or adapt one of the designs that would be the easiest for you to make.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-08T00:09:46.807Z
You may try implementing [Miura fold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miura_fold) to save more spaces.
Display Name
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-05-08T08:07:41.463Z
@fixer1234 I'm looking for technical drawings, photos, any popular variations, inspiration... Nothing specific, I just didn't want to re-invent the wheel.
Soft Bullets
<fabric><technique-identification><canvas>
What is the name of this kind of mechanism?
Soft Bullets
# What is the name of this kind of mechanism?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-05-07)

What is the name of this folding canopy mechanism where arc-shaped spines are hinged around a central pivot?:

[![Pram hood](https://i.sstatic.net/BL5ss.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/BL5ss.png)

[![Ikea childrens' chair cover](https://i.sstatic.net/tVCl9.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/tVCl9.png)

I have googled high and low and coming up blank... feel like I'm missing a vital keyword! (`hood`, `parasol`, `concentric`, `collabsable`, `folding`, `retractable`, `nested` ... ). It must have a name...

*Context: I'm trying to build a "ladybird" cover for a festival trolley for our 18 month old daughter who is coming to Glastonbury festival with us this year.*

**Tags:** fabric, technique-identification, canvas

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: So you're looking for the name of the multi-segment hinge rather than the name of canopy that results when you use it?  
> **username_0**: Honestly: either. I'm building a canopy, so if that had a name I'd take it. If the mechanism of the hinge/spindle and spines/arcs has a name, that would also be helpful!  
> **username_1**: Canopies and other items made using that type of mechanism seem to be commonly referred to as "armadillo", as identified in username_3's answer. There are a number of ways to make such a mechanism (all loops on the same pivot vs. loops on separate pivots like the garden swing picture). As far as a search term, that might be hard to beat. What are you actually searching for (pre-made hinge hardware, a DIY design)? Looking at a few examples, you would have the flexibility to just copy or adapt one of the designs that would be the easiest for you to make.  
> **username_2**: You may try implementing [Miura fold](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miura_fold) to save more spaces.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 I'm looking for technical drawings, photos, any popular variations, inspiration... Nothing specific, I just didn't want to re-invent the wheel.  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-05-08. Score: 4 | Accepted answer

Honestly, as far as I can tell, **there doesn't seem to be a specific widely known name** for this kind of folding canopy mechanism. That's not to say that it doesn't *have* a name, but that all of the names and terms I've found are either so generic that they could apply to many different kinds of folding mechanisms, so obscure that they're likely to draw blank stares from most people (and few search results from Google) even if they're familiar with the mechanism, or they have multiple meanings that can confuse people (and Google) if you use them without additional context.

That said, if you really want a name for it, I do have one for you:

---

## It's a *calash top*.

---

Specifically, the term [calash](http://www.wordsmith.org/words/calash.html) (also spelled *caleche* or *calèche*) can refer to:

1. a type of horse-drawn carriage (also known as a *barouche*) with a soft folding hood over the rear seats, using a folding mechanism similar to what you depict;
2. a *calash top*, the folding top of the aforementioned carriage, or one similar to it; or
3. a *calash bonnet*, a type of 18th century women's headgear resembling the hood of the calash carriage, and also using a similar (although simpler) folding mechanism.

> [![Picture 1](https://i.sstatic.net/PidhO.png)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln%27s_carriage_(barouche),_c._1860-1865,_on_loan_from_the_Studebaker_National_Museum,_view_2_-_National_Museum_of_American_History_-_DSC00334.jpg) [![Picture 2](https://i.sstatic.net/88OTO.png)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Calash_Bonnet.jpg)  
> Pictures: 1) A calash or barouche carriage, showing the distinctive folding top. [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abraham_Lincoln%27s_carriage_(barouche),_c._1860-1865,_on_loan_from_the_Studebaker_National_Museum,_view_2_-_National_Museum_of_American_History_-_DSC00334.jpg) taken by Wikimedia Commons user [Daderot](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Daderot) in the National Museum of American History, Washington, DC, and released to the public domain via the [CC-Zero 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en) public domain dedication. 2) A green silk taffeta calash bonnet. [Photo](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Calash_Bonnet.jpg) courtesy of the Missouri Historical Society, St. Louis, via Wikimedia Commons.

If you do a [Google image search for *calash*](https://www.google.com/search?q=calash&tbm=isch), you'll probably get about an even mix of the headgear and the carriages. And, of course, a bunch of random results like hotels and companies and health supplements named "Calash", as well as a mix of other types of horse-drawn carriages that may or may not be properly called calashes, despite not having the distinctive calash top. A [general web search](https://www.google.com/search?q=calash) first brings up a bunch of dictionary definitions, followed by mostly of random pages.

Wikipedia has an article for the carriage (under [barouche](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barouche)), but apparently none for the headgear yet, although it *is* mentioned in the general article on [bonnets](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonnet_(headgear)). At least Wikimedia Commons has pictures of both the [carriages](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Barouches) and the [headgear](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Calashes).

All in all, it does not seem to be a widely used term at all. But it's probably the best name there is for what you're looking for.

At least, for what it's worth, if you [search Google for *"calash" baby cart*](https://www.google.com/search?q=%22calash%22+baby+cart&tbm=isch) (with quotes to force the word "calash" to be included in the results), you'll get a bunch of images showing baby carriages with similar hoods as in your question. Then again, searching e.g. for [*convertible baby cart*](https://www.google.com/search?q=convertible+baby+cart&tbm=isch) also brings up a very similar set of images. [Some sites](https://thesaurus.plus/synonyms/calash) even claim that "calash" can be a generic synonym for a baby carriage, or at least for the kind with a folding top. So take it for what it's worth.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the thorough response. Although I believe we have reached the same end result (that there is no universal name for the mechanism), I appreciate a) the time you have taken to research b) your honesty in this outcome. I'm marking this answer as correct unless someone can prove otherwise.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-05-07. Score: 4

## Armadillo Flip

That's what I found:

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/pvGG8.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/pvGG8.png)

*[Source](https://gumrukdeposu.net/en/baby-care-products/5475-mamas-papas-armadillo-flip-xt-stroller-bebek-arabasi.html)*

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/2ubOo.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/2ubOo.png)

*[Source](https://www.solucionescontract.com/en/producto/armadillo-garden-swing/)*

[![chair](https://i.sstatic.net/zbSPX.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/zbSPX.png)

*[Source](https://www.homecrux.com/armadillo-chair-shields-your-child-inside-a-shell-like-space/22306/)*

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I don't think you read the question..  
> **username_3**: I did, the folding canopy mechanism where arc-shaped spines are hinged around a central pivot in some places is called Armadillo Flip    (Google it)  
> **username_0**: Hmm... The Armadillo Flip is definitely a pram. But there might be something in the word `armadillo`, so I thank you for this keyword. I'm not going to mark the answer as correct because it hasn't actually answered my question. I still don't know what the mechanism is called.  
> **username_3**: Do you know what an armadillo is and how it retracts its shell?  
> **username_0**: Yes, I know what an armadillo is. Do you know what the *name of this mechanism* is? ...because you are not actually answering my question. You are providing a visual list of products that have the *word* "Armadillo" in them (named so because the mechanism _resembles_ an armadillo's shell). I understand, there's no need to patronise... I thanked you for the reference . But the answer is not correct. This is not called "armadillo mechanism," is it?  

---

