Mechanical attachment mechanism with catchment fingers engaging curved grooves

A mechanical attachment mechanism, comprising:

• a clamp including a trigger arm extensible along an axis and a plurality of catchment fingers arranged around the axis and biased to pivot toward the trigger arm;
• and
• a receptacle including an aligner and a plurality of curved grooves, which each have an open exterior end and a closed interior end,
• wherein:
• the trigger arm of the clamp includes a spring that biases the trigger arm along the axis from a triggered position toward a secured position and an extended position,
• the extended position is for the trigger arm beginning and ending contact between the trigger arm and the aligner of the receptacle, the extended position is also for the trigger arm capturing the catchment fingers of the clamp from the open exterior end of the curved grooves of the receptacle,
• the triggered position is for the trigger arm releasing the catchment fingers into the curved grooves, and
• the secured position is for securing the clamp and the receptacle together with the catchment fingers engaging the closed interior end of the curved grooves.

A method for attachment and detachment using a mechanical attachment mechanism including a clamp and a receptacle, the method comprising the following steps:

• beginning a contact between a trigger arm of the clamp and an aligner of the receptacle with the trigger arm at an extended position, the trigger arm extensible along an axis of the clamp;
• aligning the trigger arm and the aligner along the axis while the clamp and the receptacle move toward each other along the axis and while the trigger arm, in the contact with the aligner, correspondingly transitions from the extended position to a triggered position;
• releasing, by the trigger arm, a plurality of catchment fingers of the clamp into a plurality of curved grooves of the receptacle nearby a closed interior end of the curved grooves when the trigger arm reaches the triggered position;
• securing the clamp and the receptacle together with the catchment fingers engaging the closed interior end of the curved grooves with the trigger arm at a secured position;
• rotating the clamp and the receptacle relative to each other around the axis while the catchment fingers engage the curved grooves from the closed interior end to an open exterior end of the curved grooves and while the trigger arm, in the contact with the aligner, correspondingly transitions from the triggered position to the extended position;
• capturing, by the trigger arm, the catchment fingers from the open exterior end of the curved grooves when the catchment fingers exit the open exterior end of the curved grooves and when the trigger arm reaches the extended position;
• and
• ending the contact between the trigger arm of the clamp and the aligner of the receptacle with the trigger arm at the extended position.