Patent ID: 7665690

Claim:
A structural mechanism comprising: an air vehicle support surface; a hinged surface affixed to the air vehicle support surface; a hinge assembly joining the hinged surface to the air vehicle support surface so that the hinged surface may pivot relative to the air vehicle support surface, wherein the hinge assembly comprises at least one hinge, and wherein the at least one hinge have center passageways therethrough linearly aligned along a hinged-surface hinge axis; an actuation system comprising an actuator shaft lying coincident with the hinged-surface hinge axis and extending through the aligned center passageways of the hinges of the hinge assembly, wherein the actuator shaft is engaged to the at least one hinge, a lock selectively operable to lock the hinged surface to the support when the actuator shaft engages the lock, an actuator structure controllably operable to move the actuator shaft longitudinally along the hinge-surface hinge axis between a first shaft axial position wherein the actuator shaft engages the lock and the hinges, and a second shaft axial position wherein the actuator shaft does not engage the lock but does engage the hinges, and controllably operable to rotate the actuator shaft about the hinged-surface hinge axis; and an actuator controller for the actuator structure.