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Ball-lock fastening device

  • US 10,155,580 B1
  • Filed: 10/19/2017
  • Issued: 12/18/2018
  • Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2015
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A fastener system comprising:

  • a cylindrical piston slidably mounted to a first structure, where the piston is fully retractable into the first structure and deployable outward a fixed distance from the first structure, and the piston includes an axial bore opening to a plurality of radial cross-bores proximal a top end of the piston;

    a plurality of locking pills having inner and outer ends, each of a respective one of said locking pills slidably disposed in a corresponding respective one of the cross-bores of the piston, where the locking pills are configured to travel from a first position in which the pills are situated radially inward and entirely within the piston to a second position where the pills are deployed radially outward where the outer ends extend beyond an outer surface of the piston; and

    a retainer cavity mounted on a lower surface of a second structure such that an opening of the cavity faces toward the first structure to receive the piston, where the retainer cavity includes an undercut surface on an inner lip,where the fastener system latches the second structure to the first structure via a latching sequence including placing the second structure adjacent the first structure, deploying the piston outward from the first structure in a substantially linear-only sliding motion of the piston into the retainer cavity in the second structure, deploying the locking pills radially outward to the second position, and mechanically restraining the locking pills in the second position such that the locking pills cannot retract to the first position and the locking pills contact the undercut surface of the retainer cavity to latch the second structure to the first structure,wherein a spindle is provided in the axial bore of the piston, where the spindle is axially slidable to a locking position in which a larger diameter portion of the spindle contacts the inner end of the locking pills and mechanically forces the locking pills to deploy radially outward to the second position, and the spindle is slidable to an unlocking position in which a smaller diameter portion of the spindle is aligned with the cross-bores of the piston and the locking pills are thereby free to retract radially inward to the first position before the inner ends of the locking pills contact the spindle.

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