SBIR-STTR Award

Innovative, volumetrically compact, rugged, precision drive mechanism for cost-effective improvement of power densities of position controllers, useable wherever maintenance may be difficult, space and weight is a premium and power consumption is critical. Proprietary drive uses cam gears formed as tracks cut into the faces of rotating flat disks, the disks separated by rolling balls, to achieve highly-efficient speed and torque conversion while simulating a rotating bearing. The cam gear tracks can be designed to yield any required conversion ratio from 1:1 to substantial speed reductions or moderate speed increases from any input, with highly efficient torque conversion. Flat plate technology enables manufacture in various metals, ceramics and/or polymers, for very favorable performance with volumetric, operational and cost efficiencies. Exceptionally high precision is available from small in-line drive mechanism. Phase I effort applies fundamental concepts to space-qualified materials, processes and lubricants, and specifically for use in highly compact and capable gimbal mechanism.

New and innovative speed conversion technology can expand the limits of current high-precision pointing and positioning transmission equipment, at reasonable cost. This technology features flat-plate cam gears in an in-line mechanism that marries the rolling aspects of bearings with the transmission aspects of gears to obtain a versatile, robust, efficient and cost-effective drive mechanism. The technology is generic and the number of uses and applications are countless. Phase II objective is to develop and demonstrate the ability of this new technology to provide reduced-cost, multi-use, compact, reduced-weight, high-precision drives and actuators. Effort includes stress analysis and mechanical design of candidate pancake speed reducer/torque amplifier prototypes, test and evaluation of same, and final design and delivery of improved prototype, along with definition of cost-effective volume manufacturing process (including study of powder metallurgy and ceramics). Phase II is directed to delivery of low backlash, precision, robust and cost-effective armament positioning and pointing devices, such as for missile control systems. These pancake transmissions are generic to other actuation designs, for pointing and precision positioning of various payloads for industrial and military.