A release mechanism for releasably securing a releasable structure to a stationary structure, where the mechanism employs release balls that can re-secure the releasable structure to the stationary structure. The release mechanism includes a base portion having three rails extending radially outward from a center of the base portion, and a rotatable portion rotatably mounted to the base portion, where the rotatable portion has a cam indentation. The release balls are positioned between the base portion and the rotatable portion so that one of the release balls is ridable on each of the rails and all of the release balls are positioned within the cam indentation. The cam indentation is configured so that as the rotatable portion is rotated relative to the base portion the cam indentation causes and allows the release balls to move along the rails in unison with each other to hold and release the releasable structure.
Reusable release mechanism
2023-05-09
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | F16B DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS OR MACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS, CLIPS OR WEDGES , Vorrichtungen zum Befestigen oder Sichern von Konstruktionselementen oder Maschinenteilen, z.B. Nägel, Bolzen, Schrauben, Sprengringe, Klemmen, Klammern oder Keile / B64G Raumfahrt , COSMONAUTICS |
NTRS | 1984
|SMA-WIRE-DRIVEN REUSABLE RELEASE MECHANISM WITH SELF-RESETTING FUNCTION
European Patent Office | 2024
|European Patent Office | 2023
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