Itt Corporation

Nea Electronics, Inc.

G&h Technology, Inc.

Packard Hughes Interconnect Company

Other

Tri-Star Electronics International, Inc.

Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense Company

Edward Rudoy

Edwin E Vega

Larry Leroy McCormick

Craig W Courtney

Leslie Kerek

John Steven Szalay

Michael A Lin

David S Goodman

Leslie Laszlo Kerek

Gary D Burns

John W Anhalt

Nury Izraliov

William J Clark

Nury Izrailov

The restraining strap has a rectangular cross section with a broad side against cylindrical sections holding a release member. The moment of inertia for a rectangular cross section strap is represented by the formula I=BH3/12. The lower moment of inertia reduces the load on the fusible link. With no limit to the number of wraps around the cylindrical sections, higher preloads can be accommodated by increasing the number of wraps of the restraining strap without affecting the moment of inertia or the amount of force borne by the fusible link. The actuator has a catch extending between the restrainer and actuator. The catch ends engage the restrainer and actuator and, upon release from the actuator, the catch rotates to allow the restrainer to unwind from about the cylindrical sections.

High load release device

A housing has a passageway containing a valve seat. A valve element seals against the valve seat to maintain the valve in the closed position. A release rod extends from the valve body and a shell surrounds the release rod, preventing its movement. The shell is formed in several sections, maintained together by a wire. The wire is connected to a frangible initiator which, upon failure, releases the wire from the shell, allowing these sections to move away from one another. When this occurs, the release rod and valve body are able to move, opening the valve, allowing fluid flow between the inlet and outlet of the valve.

Non-pyrotechnic isolation valve element

A receptacle assembly ( ) includes a radial groove ( ) supported by a housing ( ) which houses a plurality of electrical sockets ( ). A radial abutment ( ) is positioned on the housing adjacent the radial groove. A plug assembly ( ) includes cantilever fingers ( ) terminating in radially inwardly and outwardly directed protuberances ( ). The inwardly directed protuberances are disposed to engage the radial groove. A locking sleeve ( ) has a radially inward directed annular groove ( ) and a surface ( ) adjacent to groove ( ). The sleeve groove is alignable with outwardly directed protuberances ( ) to permit radial deflection of the cantilevered fingers and movement of inwardly directed protuberances ( ) over the abutment and into groove ( ). The sleeve is movable to position its surface ( ) over outwardly directed protuberances ( ) to lock inwardly directed protuberances ( ) in groove ( ). A shell ( ) is engageable with the cantilevered fingers and the locking sleeve, and is moveable by a coupling ring ( ) to effect the respective engagement relationships of the protuberances in their respective grooves. A restraining shaft ( ) is connected to the locking sleeve and to a manifold assembly ( ) to lock proturbances ( ) in groove ( ) and to permit movement of the locking sleeve under spring action away from its retention of protuberances ( ) in groove ( ). Operation is assisted by use of an ejection spring ( ), a loading spring ( ) and a plurality of withdrawl springs ( ). Engagement between collet detent ( ) and a notch ( ) in a timing ring ( ) secured to the coupling ring provides precise movement of the shell without depending upon the accuracy of the threaded engagement between the shell and the coupling ring.

Umbilical disconnect connector

Two fuse wires ( ) hold an insulator hub ( ) in place which, in turn, retains a hook-shaped release end ( ) of a restraining wire ( ). The insulator hub is provided with two grooves ( ), one for fuse wire ( ) and one for fuse wire ( ), and with a center hole ( ) midway between the grooves. A lanyard ( ) is terminated at its ends by a pair of loops ( ). Loop ( ) is secured through center hole ( ) in the insulator hub. The fuse wires are connected to two power supplies ( ) which are employed as a redundant power supply or fusible link decoupling device ( ). Restraining wire ( ) is wrapped around and holds together a pair of spool halves ( ) of a frangible actuator ( ). A release pin ( ) has a head portion ( ), which is captured between the spool halves, and a shaft portion ( ). A load, as represented by an arrow-headed line ( ), exerts a force upon the release pin tending to move it away from frangible actuator ( ). Current from either of the power supplies can cause a failure of its connected fuse wire which, upon failure, releases the insulator hub from being held in place. Release of the hub in turn frees restraining wire end ( ) and permits the spool halves to separate under exertion of the load, as denoted by arrow-headed line ( ). Should one power supply fail for any reason, current will also flow from the other power supply through its connecting wire to cause a failure of its fuse wire. Additional fuse wires ( &prime;) may be parallelly added to fuse wires ( ) to preclude premature separation of restraining wire ( ) from the hub.

Electrically and mechanically redundant release mechanism

A device for restraining and then quickly releasing objects, comprising two half-spools that are held in place by a coil spring. The spring is attached at one end to one of the spools and at another end is held in place by a frangible wire, which is in turn connected to redundant power supplies. Insulation is provided by coating a base portion with aluminum oxide and attaching an insulator hub to the end of the spring held by the frangible wire. Cut-outs within the coils are provided to maximize separation force.

Frangible actuator with redundant power supply

A quickly separable and disconnectable electrical connector device ( ) comprises a pin section ( ) having a socket receptacle ( ) and a socket section ( ). A mounting flange ( ) is mounted about the socket receptacle and is coupled to a supporting structure ( ) on the socket section. A force member configured as a ring ( ) surrounds the pin engageable end of socket receptacle ( ) and is adapted to abut the pin section. An adjustable spring ( ) on the socket receptacle urges force member ( ) against pin section ( ), and is located adjacent to one side of flange ( ) for reducing the force required to separate the pin and socket sections from one another and thereby for aiding separation therebetween.

Flight disconnect connector

A device for retaining an object and then releasing that object upon actuation, the device utilizing an actuator that resists less force than that exerted by said object, and is adapted for use with a V-band clamp.

Release mechanism

A frangible actuator and switch isolates a defective cell in a battery by switching an electrical circuit when the current through a fusible link exceeds a predetermined value. The high impedance of the defective cell causes most of the battery's current to flow through the fusible link. The actuator releases a spring-loaded plunger when the high current causes tensile failure of a fusible link. Electrical contacts coupled to the pre-loaded plunger are displaced by a predetermined distance, causing the contacts to move into or out of contact with electrical terminals. The actuator includes two mating parts held together by a restrainig wire, which is in turn held in place by the fusible link. When the fuse melts, fails in tension or otherwise triggers due to excessive current, the restraining wire loosens and allows the two actuator parts to separate. This separation in turn permits the spring loaded plunger to advance, triggering the switching action. The actuator contains the fusible link on an insulator portion rather than on one of the mating parts, so that the connecting wires will not mechanically interfere with the separation of the mating parts. Pins are used between the mating parts to prevent unwanted rotation of the parts and to prevent the resulting false activation of that could thereby occur. The switching contacts use toroidal springs as contact elements to maximize contact area and thereby increase current capacity of the switch.

Battery cell bypass with frangible actuator

An electrical connector that includes a pair of hermaphroditic electrical connector members which are identically formed having a connector body supported within a flexible jacket, wherein the connector body includes a male plug and a female receptacle, whereby the first male plug of the first connector is positioned to be coupled to the second female receptacle of the second connector, and wherein the first female receptacle of the first connector is arranged to be coupled to the second male plug of the second connector when one of the connector members is inverted and latched to the opposing connector member.

Hermaphroditic electrical connector

The high power clip-on interconnection system of the present invention includes a terminal stud, clip terminal and cable. The clip is formed out of flat conductive material with good spring characteristics. The clip has a terminal end for securing to a cable, an adjustable diameter circular-shaped portion for securing to the stud, and an activation arm for adjusting the diameter of the circular-shaped portion.

High power clip-on interconnection system

The present invention provides a power connector having three components. A pin contact is provided having a contact area in the shape of a cylinder with the front end in the form of a cone or other shape with an extended surface. A socket contact is provided that is similar to the pin contact, except the front end is shaped to conform to the front end of the pin. A wound torsion spring is provided for biasing the pin contact and socket contact together. The torsion spring, pin contact and socket contact are carried in a receptacle connector, plug connector and back shell respectively which can be mated and unmated with negligible force.

Negligible insert force power connector

A power connector system according to the present invention includes a pin contact having two blades that are located parallel and opposed to each other and attached to each other by an U-shaped bridge. A socket contact is provided having two U-shaped cavities for receiving respectively the two blades. The U-shaped cavities may be formed by a single piece of material formed in a S or W shape or other shapes producing U-shaped cavities. A spring member is received within each U-shaped cavity of the socket connector to provide a frictional fit when the blade is received in the spring member. The pin connector, socket connector and spring member may be stamped and formed from a flat conductive material.

Stamped and formed contacts for a power connector

The present invention is a cell bypass switch particularly designed for aerospace applications. The cell bypass switch can sense a battery cell failure and automatically opens an alternate path around the failed cell, bypassing the failure and allowing the remainder of the battery system to continue its function. The cell bypass switch is designed to be placed in parallel with the battery cell it protects. The present invention includes two electro-mechanical actuator assemblies which are mounted on the top end of the housing for operating two plungers respectively. Each of the electro-mechanical actuator assembly includes two spool halves which are held together by a tight winding of a restraining wire that terminates in a bridge wire connecting two electrical terminals of the electro-mechanical actuator. Each spool, by virtue of the restraining wire winding, can restrain a spring loaded plunger. However, when sufficient electrical current is passed through the terminals and the bridge wire, the bridge wire will heat up and break under the applied tension load. This causes the restraining wire to unwind, separating the spool halves and releasing the plunger.

Growing community of inventors

Woodland Hills, CA, United States of America

Edward Rudoy