SIX DEGREE OF FREEDOM ACTIVE VIBRATION DAMPING FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS

INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION, INCORPORATED HAS SPENT TWO YEARS INVESTIGATING AND THEN SIMULATING CONTROL OF A HIGH SPEED, HIGH PRECISION, SIX DEGREE OF FREEDOM MOTION STAGE BASED ON A SIX LEGGED PARALLEL LINK MANIPULATOR. OUR SYSTEM EXPLOITS SIX MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ACTUATORS, ONE IN SERIES WITH EACH CONVENTIONAL LEG ACTUATOR. THIS ALLOWS THE CONVENTIONAL ACTUATORS TO PROVIDE SIX DEGREE OF FREEDOM POSITIONING WHILE THE SIX MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ACTUATORS (WHICH ELONGAGE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A MAGNETIC FIELD) PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL SIX DEGREES OF FREEDOM HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION ISOLATION. MAGNETOSTRICTIVE ELEMENTS ARE EXTREMELY LIGHT AND CAN EXERT LARGE FORCES AT HIGH FREQUENCIES. THE SIX LEGGED PARALLEL LINK MECHANISM, CALLED A STEWART PLATFORM, PROVIDES A MEANS TO CONVERT THIS ONE DIMENSIONAL DISPLACEMENT INTO SIX DIMENSIONAL, HIGH FREQUENCY, HIGH PRECISION MOTION. IN SPACE STRUCTURES, THE VIBRATIONAL FORCES WILL INCLUDE FLEXING AND TWISTING, AND WE BELIEVE THAT SIX AXIS COUNTER MOTION IS ESSENTIAL TO IMPLEMENTING HIGH PERFORMANCE ACTIVE VIBRATOR ISOLATION AND DAMPING. THE SYSTEM WE PROPOSE WILL MEET THIS REQUIREMENT.