Patent ID: 7644890

Claim:
A low-energy locking hinge mechanism operable with a spacecraft to support a deployable device, and to facilitate the deployment and locking of said deployable device, said hinge mechanism comprising: a support base configured to couple to a structure of said spacecraft; means for securing a deployable device to said support base, said deployable device being configured to rotate about a pivot axis; a one-way clutch supported about said support base and operable with said means for securing, said one-way clutch being configured to facilitate one-way rotation of said deployable device from a stowed position to a deployed position, and to lock said deployable device in said deployed position, said one-way clutch having an inherent actuatable locking function configured to prevent backward motion; and an actuation member operable with said one-way clutch to deploy said deployable device from said stowed position to said deployed position, said actuation member comprising an actuation energy sufficient to actuate said locking function of said one-way clutch within a zero-gravity environment; wherein said one-way clutch comprises: a housing fixedly coupled to a component of said support base; a cam configured to rotate relative to said housing, said cam also configured to receive and secure to a shaft rotatably supported by said support base; a series of rollers disposed within corresponding pockets formed in said cam, said rollers being configured to permit one-way rotation and to constrain backward rotation; and a series of springs configured to energize said rollers within said pockets to facilitate prevention of said backward rotation.