Patent ID: 8651765

Claim:
A system for the restraint and release of a deployable body mounted on a support structure, the system being operable between a stowed condition and a released condition to selectively deploy the deployable body away from the support structure from a location remote from the system, the system comprising: a pair of subassemblies comprising a passive subassembly and an active subassembly that separate from each other during deployment of the deployable body away from the support structure, the passive subassembly and the active subassembly each having a respective mounting arrangement for being fixedly attached to a respective one of the deployable body and the support structure such that the passive subassembly and the active subassembly move apart from each other when the deployable body is deployed away from the support structure, and the pair of subassemblies comprising mating surfaces which interlock with one another in the stowed condition to substantially prevent lateral movement of the deployable body relative to the support structure while enabling relative movement of the pair of subassemblies in a longitudinal direction when the deployable body is deployed away from the support structure; a remote controlled releasing device operable by an electrical release command, which is coupled to the active subassembly to selectively release the active subassembly from the passive subassembly; a releasable tensioned element coupling the remote controlled releasing device of the active subassembly to the passive subassembly, the releasable tensioned element exerting a pre-loaded compressive force between the active subassembly and the passive subassembly when the system is in the stowed condition to urge the mating surfaces together, and adapted to be released from the remote controlled releasing device upon remote controlled operation; and a tensioning mechanism coupled to at least one of the active subassembly and the passive subassembly, the tensioning mechanism being arranged to enable adjustment of a variable pre-load tension force of the releasable tensioned element while the system remains in the stowed condition.