Mechanisms
Categories
Beam steering mechanism for earthcare atmospherice Lidar Instrument: an improved piezo tip-tilt mechanism
19 June 2023
In the context of the ATLID instrument [1] embedded in the EarthCARE mission (Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer), a Beam Steering Assembly is deviating a pulsed high energy UV laser beam to compensate the pointing misalignment between the emission and reception paths of ATLID with a very high stability and high resolution. Within the EarthCARE mission, led by ESA, Astrium is responsible for the ATLID instrument. The BSA development, manufacture and tests were assigned by Astrium to Sodern, an EADS filial.
Beam steering mirrors: from space applications to optronic applications
19 June 2023
Fast growing Laser and new optic applications drive more and more needs for beam steering mirrors (BSM) and Fast Steering Mirror (FSM). For space optic instruments, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES has developed for 20 years several piezoelectric tip-tilt mechanisms. Presented recent examples include the ATLID BSA small tit tilt for quasi static nano pointing and MEFISTO, a large tit tilt for fast micro positioning. These space mechanisms perform high precision functions while being compact, lightweight and resistant to external vibrations and shocks. As shown in the paper, these advantages allow these technologies addressing several needs for other optronic applications than space, such as active stabilisation, micro scanning, disturbance compensation in IR imagers or telescopes.
BRUCE – Electromagnetic Actuated Pin Puller
12 January 2012
Pin pullers are used to hold, lock or secure deployable or moving parts on spacecrafts during their launching. These ‘one shot’ actuators used to be based on explosive charges. Pin pullers important characteristics are their retraction force that needs to be sufficient to pull the pin out of the locking mechanism, their maximum radial force, which limits the size of the secured system, and their dimensions and weight. The possibility of resetting the mechanism is also an appreciated advantage. Upon request of CNES, the French National Space Agency, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES has designed a resettable electromagnetic actuated pin puller, called BRUCE
Voice coil actuators for two MTG instruments
19 June 2023
While Cedrat Technologies has been active in space for more than 20 years with piezoelectric mechanisms, we have also been increasingly involved over the last few years in the development of magnetic actuators for space projects. In this paper, a focus is made on the case of magnetic actuators that are developed in the frame of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) project. The first one is the Scan Assembly (SCA) actuated by Rotating Voice Coil Motors (RVCM) for the East/West (E/W) axes and the North/South (N/S) axes developed in collaboration with Sener and the second one is the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) developed in collaboration with CSEM for the Corner Cube Mechanism (CCM)
Wind-tunnel tests of a helicopter rotor with active flaps
19 June 2023
Within the frame of a project called DTP RPA (Développement Technique Probatoire Rotor à Pale Active), also known as Active Blade Concept, carried out in cooperation between ONERA, Eurocopter, DLR and Eurocopter Deutschland, a four-bladed Mach-scaled rotor was tested in December 2005 in ONERA S1 Modane wind-tunnel. The main objective of this test was to validate the concept of using active flaps located on the trailing edge of the blades of the main rotor of a helicopter to decrease the vibration level generated by this rotor.
XY200M a new design of piezo stage
9 January 2002
The XY200M is an XY piezo stage coming from CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES lab and which was newly designed according to space needs defined with CNES (the French space agency). This XY stage benefi ts from the heritage of a former XY stage
developed for ESA (European Space Agency) in the frame of Rosetta / Midas space mission which will launch in the beginning of 2003. It is based on two pairs of APA200M, Amplifi ed Piezo Actuators displaying 200 µm of stroke each, arranged in cross configuration around a central ring.
