Cedrat Technologies, innovation in mechatronics

Piezoelectric transducers adopted for storage tank monitoring: the results.

Sample preparation and sample handling are among the most critical operations associated with X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. These operations require attention in a laboratory environment, but they become a major constraint in the deployment of XRD instruments for robotic planetary exploration. We are developing a novel sample handling system that dramatically relaxes the constraints on sample preparation by allowing characterization of coarsegrained material that would normally be impossible to analyze with conventional powder-XRD techniques.

Successful commissioning of the first flight application for C. T. in ESA / ROSETTA mission. The ROSETTA satellite has been successfully launched the 2nd of March 2004 from Kourou, French Guyana, using an Ariane-5 G+ launcher. The rendezvous with the new targeted comet “Churyumov - Gerasimenko” is expected in November 2014.

In the context of a more electrical aircraft, in order to explore the feasibility of non usual solutions, electro-fluidic components based on smart materials and new Electro-Hydraulic-Actuators (EHA) concepts, based on active valves and magnetostrictive vibrating pump, have been studied. Active valves based on different magnetostrictive and piezoelectric actuators have been designed, realised, tested and compared. The magnetostrictive version uses a new Amplified Magnetostrictive Actuator (AMA) based on a stack of Giant Magnetostrictive Materials (GMM) and placed inside an elliptical amplification ring.

A moving coil actuator for high precision positioning and compatible with space technology specifications has been designed and successfully tested. General space technology requirements are the use of no degassing material, no lubrication, low mechanic time constant, low electrical power consumption, and thermal energy evacuation through radiating and conducting exchanges (no convection because of operation in vacuum environment). These specifications have been accounted in the design, the realisation and the test of a successful prototype: Thanks to a good design of thermal drains, the actuator presents a high force versus weight ratio.

Piezoelectric actuators find their first applications in active space optics. The purpose of this paper is to describe the state of the art and some applications. Piezo actuators display attractive features for space applications, such as precise positioning, unlubricated, non magnetic and compact features, and low power consumption. However, piezo mechanisms cannot be considered separately from their driving and control electronic.

A design of a single phase step micro motor is presented. The rotor has been optimised to induce the greatest magnetic energy using film permanent magnets. A special study has been performed to select the most advantageous magnetisation direction and the structure has been chosen taking into account micro technologies characteristics and the present know-how available for realisation of prototypes. A scale 2 prototype has already been realised. Its special air gap tuning for film magnet test is presented, as well as first torque measurements.