Trw Limited

Henry Fink

William B Palmer

A releasable coupling assembly is provided for secure retention and controlled reliable release of a releasable structure with respect to a base structure, such as a releasable spacecraft with respect to a mother spacecraft or launch vehicle. The releasable coupling assembly comprises a latch housing on the base structure and supporting a pair of pivotal latches for locking engagement with oppositely projecting locking tabs of a pawl rotatably supported on a locking shaft mounted on the releasable structure. The two latches are respectively coupled to a pair of control pistons movably disposed within cylinders in the latching housing and biased by springs toward normal positions in locked engagement with the pawl. Supply of a fluid under pressure to the cylinders displaces the control pistons in directions retracting the latches to release positions disengaged from the pawl thereby releasing the locking shaft and the releasable structure from the base structure. In the event one of the latches fails to move to the release position, the pawl is free to rotate with respect to the locking shaft for disengagement from the failed latch.

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Torrance, CA, United States of America

Henry Fink