Quick-connect fasteners for assembling devices in space

A quick-connect fastener to be coupled to a member having an opening therein with an inwardly-directed internal shoulder and an outwardly-directed external shoulder and comprising:

• a tubular body having an access opening in one side thereof and including a rearward end arranged to be tandemly coupled to a tubular member having its longitudinal axis in coincidental alignment with the longitudinal axis of said tubular body and an open forward end arranged to be engaged against another member with said longitudinal axis of said tubular body aligned with an opening in that other body;
• a tubular collet having an internally-threaded portion and coaxially mounted within said tubular body ahead of said access opening for movement in said tubular body along said longitudinal axis and including a plurality of forwardly projecting flexible fingers having enlarged ends which are collectively sized for entering an opening in another member when said fingers are contracted;
• an elongated shaft coaxially mounted within said collet and including a frustoconical forward end portion which is cooperatively arranged to be advanced against said flexible fingers for moving said enlarged finger ends forwardly into an opening on another body and then expanding said enlarged finger ends outwardly within that opening;
• an externally-threaded annular actuator cooperatively arranged in said internally-threaded portion of said collet and coaxially disposed around said elongated shaft to be advanced toward its said forward end portion in response to rotation of said actuator within said internally-threaded collet portion;
• biasing means coaxially arranged within said collet between said forward end portion of said elongated shaft and said actuator and operable in response to advancement of said actuator within said internally-threaded collet portion for urging said forward end portion of said elongated shaft forwardly against said flexible fingers and expanding said finger ends once they are inserted into an opening;
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• actuating means operable for rotating said actuator from outside of said tubular body including a first coupling member coaxially arranged on the rear of said actuator and accessible from said access opening, a flexible shaft having sufficient rigidity to withstand moderate axial forces and arranged to pass through said access opening and be directed toward said first coupling member in response to movements of an actuating device positioned outside of said tubular body to the rear of said side opening and coaxially coupled to the rearward end of said flexible shaft for imparting axial and rotational forces thereto, and a second coupling member mounted on the forward distal end of said flexible shaft and arranged to be passed through said access opening and releasably engaged with said first coupling member for imparting said axial and rotational forces to said actuator before said flexible shaft and second coupling member are subsequently withdrawn from within said tubular body by way of said access opening.

Structural members arranged to be quickly coupled together and comprising:

• a hollow attachment fitting having an opening between its outer and inner surfaces;
• a tubular fastener body arranged to be axially aligned with an opening in said attachment fitting and including an access opening in a rearward portion thereof and a forward portion having an open end to be engaged against said outer surface of said attachment fitting surrounding said opening;
• a tubular collet having an internally-threaded portion and coaxially arranged within said forward end portion of said tubular fastener body for axial movement therein, said collet including normally-contracted forwardly-extending flexible fingers having outwardly-enlarged ends sized to be collectively passed through said opening in said attachment fitting when said open end of said tubular fastener body is engaged around said opening;
• means operable for releasably coupling said tubular fastener body to said attachment fitting after said open end of said tubular fastener body has been engaged around said opening and including a frustoconical expander coaxially arranged in the forward end portion of said collet for moving forwardly into engagement with said collet fingers, an actuator threadedly coupled within said internally-threaded collet portion for being advanced therealong in response to rotation of said actuator, and a stack of disc biasing springs coaxially mounted in said collet between said expander and said actuator and operable in response to advancement of said actuator for moving said expander into engagement with said collet fingers for expanding said outwardly-enlarged finger ends within said opening;
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• actuating means operable for rotating said actuator from outside of said tubular body including a first coupling member coaxially arranged on the rear of said actuator and accessible from said access opening, a flexible shaft having sufficient rigidity to withstand moderate axial forces and arranged to pass through said access opening and be directed toward said first coupling member in response to movements of an actuating device positioned outside of said tubular body to the rear of said side opening and coaxially coupled to the rearward end of said flexible shaft for imparting axial and rotational forces thereto, and a second coupling member mounted on the forward distal end of said flexible shaft and arranged to be passed through said access opening and releasably engaged with said first coupling member for imparting said axial and rotational forces to said actuator before said flexible shaft and second coupling member are subsequently withdrawn from within said tubular body by way of said access opening