Device for retaining and releasing appendages

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017174366-A1
Application number	US-201615382219-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 16, 2016
Priority date	Dec 18, 2015
Publication date	Jun 22, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An active tie rod for retaining and releasing appendages without shock is provided. The device comprises: a fixed base, a tie rod extending along an axis between two ends, a mechanism fastened to the base and temporarily retaining a first end of the tie rod, operating the mechanism to release the tie rod from the base, an end piece fastened to a second end of the tie rod, at least one appendage temporarily retained between the base and the end piece, a component disposed between the mechanism and the end piece, and an actuator of the component to modify a characteristic dimension of the component along the axis between two values, the component producing a tension in the tie rod for the first of the two values and the tension in the tie rod being reduced for a second of the two values.

First claim

1 . A device for retaining and releasing appendages, the device comprising:
a fixed base, a tie rod extending along an axis between two ends, a mechanism fastened to the base and temporarily retaining a first end of the tie rod, operating the mechanism making it possible to release the tie rod from the base, an end piece fastened to a second end of the tie rod, at least one appendage temporarily retained between the base and the end piece, a component disposed between the mechanism and the end piece, the component being independent of the mechanism, and an actuator of the component making it possible to modify a characteristic dimension of the component along the axis between two values, the component producing a tension in the tie rod for the first of the two values and the tension in the tie rod being reduced for a second of the two values, the actuator being independent of the mechanism.

2 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the component takes the form of a washer configured to slide along the tie rod during assembly of the device.

3 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the tie rod has a characteristic dimension perpendicularly to its axis between its two ends and wherein the component has a hole in it with a characteristic dimension greater than the characteristic dimension of the tie rod so as to be able to slide along the tie rod during assembly of the device.

4 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the component is disposed between the mechanism and the base.

5 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the component is disposed between the base the at least one appendage.

6 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the component is disposed between the at least one appendage and the end piece.

7 . The device according to claim 1 , comprising at least two appendages and wherein the component is disposed between two appendages.

8 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the component includes a material of particular thermal expansion and the actuator includes an element making it possible to feed thermal energy to or to extract thermal energy from the component.

9 . The device according to claim 8 , wherein the material is a shape memory material.

10 . The device according to claim 8 , wherein the element is a heater for raising the temperature of the material of the component.

11 . The device according to claim 1 , wherein the tension in the tie rod is zero for the second of the two characteristic dimension values of the component along the axis.

12 . The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a spring disposed between the second end of the tie rod and the at least one appendage, the spring being configured to extract the first end of the tie rod from the mechanism after the mechanism is operated.

Assignees

• Thales Sa

Inventors

• Blanc Alain-Vincent
• Combernoux Thomas
• Michellet François
• Chassoulier Damien

Classifications

• B64G1/10 Primary

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• B64G1/2228 Primary

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• B64G1/2222

  Folding · CPC title

• B64G1/222 Primary

  for deploying structures between a stowed and deployed state · CPC title

• B64G1/443

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title