A Novel Actuator that can Produce both Linear and Rotary Motions

This proposal presents a novel design concept to build linear and rotary uinchwormX type of actuators that can be used as active elements for static precision positioning and active strcutural dynamic control in BMDO's space structures and flight vehicles. The proposed actuator, call the Solid State Stepper Motor, exploits solid state Lead Zirconium Titanate (PZT) materials as the synchronized drivers to move a core rod in a manner similar to the crawling motion of an inchworm. The new actuator design has several distinct advantages: It is able to produce both linear and totary motion while having no moving part in conventional sense. It can generate both high-frequency dynamic control force or torque and static geometric positioning control motion with unlimited long stroke. It has high force and torque capability and able to provide several hundred pound of active control force outputs. It is insensitive to magnetic field, has non-sparking, and can be built in compact size. The actuator output rod will remain in its static position in a power-off situation with no degradation in its force resisting capability. The actuator proposed herein can be used to meet the needs of many current and future space structures and flight vehicles that require actuators to have large force, long stroke, high response speed, low power consumption, high efficiency, and high reliability. Examples of such applications include flight control surface actuation (flaps, ailerons, rudders, trims, etc.), active suppression of structural vibration, truss geometric configuration adjustment in space, and safe and latching devices. This new capability of linear and rotary positioning will also spur the development of new generation of space mechanism for precision deployment, interlocking connector, and intelligent space robotics manipulation. To the best of our knowledge, there is no commercial product currently available that offers rotary or integration of linear and rotary inchworm actuators for precision control at any cost. The primary objective of this proposed Phase I SBIR effort is to build a working prototype of the proposed S3M actuator, and demonstrate its feasibility of generating precise linear and rotary moti