Hinge with internal on-axis rotational stop and shearing mechanisms

A platform comprising:

• a body;
• a solid object, reversibly secured to said body;
• a releasing mechanism for at least partially detaching said solid object from said body;
• and
• a securing assembly for securing said solid object to said body, said securing assembly including a hinge for connecting a first end of said solid object to a first region of said body, and a releasable element securing a second end of said solid object to a second region of said body;
• said hinge being configured such that when said second end of said solid object separates from said second region of said body, a force exerted on said solid object rotates the solid object about an axis of rotation before detaching said hinge, thereby removing said solid object from said body;
• and
• wherein said hinge includes
• an on-axis member that extends from the body thru a thru hole in the solid object along the axis of rotation such that the force rotates the solid object around the axis of rotation, said on-axis member including a stopping feature positioned within the thru hole in the solid object and a weakened region positioned between the body and the stopping feature;
• and
• a complementary stopping feature configured in the thru hole in the solid object to engage the on-axis member's stopping feature at a predetermined angle of rotation to produce a torsional load on the on-axis member that shears the on-axis member at the weakened region to detach the hinge and remove the solid object from the body.

An airborne platform comprising:

• an aerodynamic body;
• a protected element within said aerodynamic body;
• a cover, reversibly secured to said aerodynamic body, for protecting said protected element from an external environment;
• a releasing mechanism for at least partially detaching said cover from said aerodynamic body;
• and
• a securing assembly for securing said cover to said aerodynamic body, said securing assembly including a hinge for connecting a first end of said cover to a first region of said aerodynamic body, and a releasable element securing a second end of said cover to a second region of said aerodynamic body;
• said hinge being configured such that when said second end of said cover separates from said second region of said aerodynamic body when the airborne platform is in flight, a force exerted on said cover rotates the cover about an axis of rotation before detaching said hinge, thereby removing said cover from said aerodynamic body, and
• wherein said hinge includes
• a recess in the cover with a first thru hole;
• a first hinge plate attached to the aerodynamic body;
• an on-axis member that extends from the first hinge plate along the axis of rotation aligned with the first thru hole, said on-axis member including a full diameter region equal in diameter to the first thru hole in the cover and a reduced diameter weakened region positioned between the first hinge plate and the full diameter region;
• a hard stop including a full diameter region fastened to the end of the full diameter region of the on-axis member and a stopping feature, said full diameter region in rotational engagement with the first thru hole in the cover such that the force rotates the cover around the axis of rotation;
• a load transfer interface that couples the full diameter region of the hard stop to the full diameter region of the on-axis member;
• and
• a second hinge plate positioned in the recess and attached to the cover, said second hinge plate having a second thru hole aligned to the first thru hole, said second hinge plate having with a complementary stopping feature configured in the second thru hole to engage the hard stop's stopping feature at a predetermined angle of rotation to transfer a torsional load thru the load transfer interface to shear the on-axis member at the reduced diameter weakened region to detach the hinge and remove the cover from the aerodynamic body leaving the first hinge plate attached to the aerodynamic body.