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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1994

Displaceable spur gear torque controlled driver and method

Methods and apparatus are provided for a torque driver including a laterally displaceable gear support member to carry an output spur gear. A biasing assembly biases the output spur gear into engagement with a pinion to which is applied an input torque greater than a desired output torque limit for a threaded fastener such as a nut or screw. A coiled output linkage connects the output spur gear with a fastener adaptor which may be a socket for a nut. A gear tooth profile provides a separation force that overcomes the bias to limit torque at the desired torque limit. Multiple fasteners may be rotated simultaneously to a desired torque limit if additional output spur gears are provided. A gauged selector mechanism is provided to laterally displace multiple driver members for fasteners arranged in differing configurations. The torque limit is selectably adjustable and may be different for fasteners within the same fastener configuration.

Cook, Joseph S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1996

Displaceable Spur Gear Torque Controlled Driver and Method

Methods and apparatus are provided for a torque driver including a laterally displaceable gear support member to carry an output spur gear. A biasing assembly biases the output spur gear into engagement with a pinion to which is applied an input torque greater than a desired output torque limit for a threaded fastener such as a nut or screw. A coiled output linkage connects the output spur gear with a fastener adaptor which may be a socket for a nut. A gear tooth profile provides a separation force that overcomes the bias to limit torque at the desired torque limit. Multiple fasteners may be rotated simultaneously to a desired torque limit if additional output spur gears are provided. A gauged selector mechanism is provided to laterally displace multiple driven members for fasteners arranged in differing configurations. The torque limit is selectably adjustable and may be different for fasteners within the same fastener configuration.

Cook, Joseph S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Variable-frequency inverter controls torque, speed, and braking in ac induction motors

Dc to ac inverter provides optimum frequency and voltage to ac induction motor, in response to different motor-load and speed requirements. Inverter varies slip frequency of motor in proportion to required torque. Inverter protects motor from high current surges, controls negative slip to apply braking, and returns energy stored in momentum of load to dc power source.

Nola, F. J.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Preliminary results on noncollocated torque control of space robot actuators

In the Space Station era, more operations will be performed robotically in space in the areas of servicing, assembly, and experiment tending among others. These robots may have various sets of requirements for accuracy, speed, and force generation, but there will be design constraints such as size, mass, and power dissipation limits. For actuation, a leading motor candidate is a dc brushless type, and there are numerous potential drive trains each with its own advantages and disadvantages. This experiment uses a harmonic drive and addresses some inherent limitations, namely its backdriveability and low frequency structural resonances. These effects are controlled and diminished by instrumenting the actuator system with a torque transducer on the output shaft. This noncollocated loop is closed to ensure that the commanded torque is accurately delivered to the manipulator link. The actuator system is modelled and its essential parameters identified. The nonlinear model for simulations will include inertias, gearing, stiction, flexibility, and the effects of output load variations. A linear model is extracted and used for designing the noncollocated torque and position feedback loops. These loops are simulated with the structural frequency encountered in the testbed system. Simulation results are given for various commands in position. The use of torque feedback is demonstrated to yield superior performance in settling time and positioning accuracy. An experimental setup being finished consists of a bench mounted motor and harmonic drive actuator system. A torque transducer and two position encoders, each with sufficient resolution and bandwidth, will provide sensory information. Parameters of the physical system are being identified and matched to analytical predictions. Initial feedback control laws will be incorporated in the bench test equipment and various experiments run to validate the designs. The status of these experiments is given.

Tilley, Scott W.↗
NASA NTRS1988

The robust application of computed torque control to manipulators subject to saturation

A technique is presented which allows use of an exact linearization (EL) control for robot manipulators for those cases when actuator saturation cannot be ignored. A modification of a nonlinear dynamic compensation technique that has been successfully used in the feedback amplifiers is applied to a case of a nonredundant manipulator. Computer simulation for a two-link planar robot arm illustrates the advantages of the modified computed torque technique compared to the traditional linear full state control.

Lokshin, Anatole↗
NASA NTRS2011

Emergency Entry with One Control Torque: Non-Axisymmetric Diagonal Inertia Matrix

In another work, a method was presented, primarily conceived as an emergency backup system, that addressed the problem of a space capsule that needed to execute a safe atmospheric entry from an arbitrary initial attitude and angular rate in the absence of nominal control capability. The proposed concept permits the arrest of a tumbling motion, orientation to the heat shield forward position and the attainment of a ballistic roll rate of a rigid spacecraft with the use of control in one axis only. To show the feasibility of such concept, the technique of single input single output (SISO) feedback linearization using the Lie derivative method was employed and the problem was solved for different number of jets and for different configurations of the inertia matrix: the axisymmetric inertia matrix (I(sub xx) > I(sub yy) = I(sub zz)), a partially complete inertia matrix with I(sub xx) > I(sub yy) > I(sub zz), I(sub xz) not = 0 and a realistic complete inertia matrix with I(sub xx) > I(sub yy) > I)sub zz), I(sub ij) not= 0. The closed loop stability of the proposed non-linear control on the total angle of attack, Theta, was analyzed through the zero dynamics of the internal dynamics for the case where the inertia matrix is axisymmetric (I(sub xx) > I(sub yy) = I(sub zz)). This note focuses on the problem of the diagonal non-axisymmetric inertia matrix (I(sub xx) > I(sub yy) > I(sub zz)), which is half way between the axisymmetric and the partially complete inertia matrices. In this note, the control law for this type of inertia matrix will be determined and its closed-loop stability will be analyzed using the same methods that were used in the other work. In particular, it will be proven that the control system is stable in closed-loop when the actuators only provide a roll torque.

Llama, Eduardo Garcia↗
NASA NTRS1975

Torque control system

System stabilizes aximuth of gondolas which are carried by high-altitude balloons as platforms for tracking telescopes. When telescopes must be constantly aimed at specific targets, control system stabilizes gondola to within 5 arc-seconds.

Studenick, D. K.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Robust torque control of an elastic robotic arm based on invertibility and feedback stabilization

An approach to the control of elastic robotic systems for space applications using inversion, servocompensation, and feedback stabilization is presented. For simplicity, a robot arm (PUMA-type) with three rotational joints is considered. The third link is assumed to be elastic. Using an inversion algorithm, a nonlinear decoupling control law, u sub d, is derived such that in the closed loop system, independent control of joint angles by the three joint torquers is accomplished. For the stabilization of elastic oscillations, a linear feedback torquer control law, u sub s, is obtained applying linear quadratic optimization to the linearized arm model augmented with a servocompensator about the terminal state. Simulation results show that, in spite of uncertainties in the payload and vehicle angular velocity, good joint angle control and damping of elastic oscillations are obtained with the torquer control law u = u sub d + u sub s.

Singh, S. N.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Magnetic field control

A torque control for an electromechanical torquing device of a type where a variable clearance occurs between a rotor and field is described. A Hall effect device senses the field present, which would vary as a function of spacing between field and rotor. The output of the Hall effect device controls the power applied to the field so as to provide a well defined field and thus a controlled torque to the rotor which is well defined.

Haeussermann, W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Robust tuning of robot control systems

The computed torque control problem is examined for a robot arm with flexible, geared, joint drive systems which are typical in many industrial robots. The standard computed torque algorithm is not directly applicable to this class of manipulators because of the dynamics introduced by the joint drive system. The proposed approach to computed torque control combines a computed torque algorithm with torque controller at each joint. Three such control schemes are proposed. The first scheme uses the joint torque control system currently implemented on the robot arm and a novel form of the computed torque algorithm. The other two use the standard computed torque algorithm and a novel model following torque control system based on model following techniques. Standard tasks and performance indices are used to evaluate the performance of the controllers. Both numerical simulations and experiments are used in evaluation. The study shows that all three proposed systems lead to improved tracking performance over a conventional PD controller.

Minis, I.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Pulley With Active Antifriction Actuator And Control

Torque actuator and associated control system minimizes effective friction of rotary bearing. Motor exerts compensating torque in response to feedback from external optical sensor. Compensation torque nearly cancels frictional torque of shaft bearings. Also useful in reducing bearing friction in gyro-scopes, galvanometers, torquemeters, accelerometers, earth-motion detectors, and balances.

Ih, Che-Hang C.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Pressurized fluid torque driver control and method

Methods and apparatus are provided for a torque driver including a displaceable gear to limit torque transfer to a fastener at a precisely controlled torque limit. A biasing assembly biases a first gear into engagement with a second gear for torque transfer between the first and second gear. The biasing assembly includes a pressurized cylinder controlled at a constant pressure that corresponds to a torque limit. A calibrated gage and valve is used to set the desired torque limit. One or more coiled output linkages connect the first gear with the fastener adaptor which may be a socket for a nut. A gear tooth profile provides a separation force that overcomes the bias to limit torque at the desired torque limit. Multiple fasteners may be rotated simultaneously to a desired torque limit if additional output spur gears are provided. The torque limit is adjustable and may be different for fasteners within the same fastener configuration.

Cook, Joseph S., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1973

An integrated power/attitude control system /IPACS/ for space vehicle application

An integrated power and attitude control system (IPACS) concept with potential application to a broad class of space missions is discussed. The concept involves the storage and supply on demand of electrical energy in rotating flywheels while simultaneously providing control torques by controlled precession of the flywheels. The system is thus an alternative to the storage batteries used on present spacecraft while providing similar capability for attitude control as that represented by a control moment gyroscope (CMG) system. Potential IPACS configurations discussed include single- and double-rotor double-gimbal IPACS units. Typical sets of control laws which would manage the momentum and energy exchange between the IPACS and a typical space vehicle are discussed. Discussion of a simulation of a typical potential IPACS configuration and candidate mission concerned with pointing capability, power supply and demand flow, and discussion of the interactions between stabilization and control requirements and power flow requirements are presented.

Anderson, W. W.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Direct adaptive impedance control of manipulators

An adaptive scheme for controlling the end-effector impedance of robot manipulators is presented. The proposed control system consists of three subsystems: a simple filter which characterizes the desired dynamic relationship between the end-effector position error and the end-effector/environment contact force, an adaptive controller which produces the Cartesian-space control input required to provide this desired dynamic relationship, and an algorithm for mapping the Cartesian-space control input to a physically realizable joint-space control torque. The controller does not require knowledge of either the structure or the parameter values of the robot dynamics, and it is implemented without calculation of the robot inverse kinematic transformation. As a result, the scheme represents a very general and computationally efficient approach to controlling the impedance of both nonredundant and redundant manipulators. Furthermore, the method can be applied directly to trajectory tracking in free-space motion by removing the impedance filter.

Colbaugh, R.↗
NASA NTRS2002

Noise screen for attitude control system

An attitude control system comprising a controller and a noise screen device coupled to the controller. The controller is adapted to control an attitude of a vehicle carrying an actuator system that is adapted to pulse in metered bursts in order to generate a control torque to control the attitude of the vehicle in response to a control pulse. The noise screen device is adapted to generate a noise screen signal in response to the control pulse that is generated when an input attitude error signal exceeds a predetermined deadband attitude level. The noise screen signal comprises a decaying offset signal that when combined with the attitude error input signal results in a net attitude error input signal away from the predetermined deadband level to reduce further control pulse generation.

Rodden, John J.↗
NASA NTRS2004

NASA Tech Briefs, September 2004

Topics covered include: Brazing SiC/SiC Composites to Metals; Composite-Material Tanks with Chemically Resistant Liners; Thermally Conductive Metal-Tube/Carbon-Composite Joints; Improved BN Coatings on SiC Fibers in SiC Matrices; Iterative Demodulation and Decoding of Non-Square QAM; Measuring Radiation Patterns of Reconfigurable Patch Antennas on Wafers; Low-Cutoff, High-Pass Digital Filtering of Neural Signals; Further Improvement in 3DGRAPE; Ground Support Software for Spaceborne Instrumentation; MER SPICE Interface; Simulating Operation of a Planetary Rover; Analyzing Contents of a Computer Cache; Discrepancy Reporting Management System; Silicone-Rubber Microvalves Actuated by Paraffin; Hydraulic Apparatus for Mechanical Testing of Nuts; Heat Control via Torque Control in Friction Stir Welding; Manufacturing High-Quality Carbon Nanotubes at Lower Cost; Setup for Visual Observation of Carbon-Nanotube Arc Process; Solution Preserves Nucleic Acids in Body-Fluid Specimens; Oligodeoxynucleotide Probes for Detecting Intact Cells; Microwave-Spectral Signatures Would Reveal Concealed Objects; Digital Averaging Phasemeter for Heterodyne Interferometry; Optoelectronic Instrument Monitors pH in a Culture Medium; Imaging of gamma-Irradiated Regions of a Crystal; Photodiode-Based, Passive Ultraviolet Dosimeters; Discrete Wavelength-Locked External Cavity Laser; Flexible Shields for Protecting Spacecraft Against Debris; Part 2 of a Computational Study of a Drop-Laden Mixing Layer; Controllable Curved Mirrors Made from Single-Layer EAP Films; and Demonstration of a Pyrotechnic Bolt-Retractor System.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS2003

Flux-Based Deadbeat Control of Induction-Motor Torque

An improved method and prior methods of deadbeat direct torque control involve the use of pulse-width modulation (PWM) of applied voltages. The prior methods are based on the use of stator flux and stator current as state variables, leading to mathematical solutions of control equations in forms that do not lend themselves to clear visualization of solution spaces. In contrast, the use of rotor and stator fluxes as the state variables in the present improved method lends itself to graphical representations that aid in understanding possible solutions under various operating conditions. In addition, the present improved method incorporates the superposition of high-frequency carrier signals for use in a motor-self-sensing technique for estimating the rotor shaft angle at any speed (including low or even zero speed) without need for additional shaft-angle-measuring sensors.

Kenny, Barbara H.↗