Apparatus for holding and releasing with rod-shaped release elements made of a shape memory alloy

An apparatus for holding and releasing a pin in a controlled manner, the apparatus comprising

• a base,
• a pin holding element supported at the base,
• a plurality of rod-shaped release elements made of a shape memory alloy and supported at the base,
• a holding force application device supported at the base and configured for applying an elastic holding force, and
• a force transfer element,
• wherein the force transfer element is subjected to the elastic holding force applied by the holding force application device, and wherein the force transfer element, against the elastic holding force, is supported at the base via a parallel arrangement of the pin holding element and the rod-shaped release elements,
• wherein each of the rod-shaped release elements is arranged with radial play in a blind hole of a plurality of blind holes in the base, the plurality of blind holes being arranged around the pin holding element, and
• wherein the pin holding element is deactivatable by heating up the rod-shaped release elements beyond a transition temperature of their shape memory alloy and by a resulting recovery of the rod-shaped release elements to straight memory shapes.