Sensor Mount With Intersecting Rotational Axes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor mounts for movable sensors, particularly in aviation, suffer from wobbling movements due to the arrangement of axes of rotation, making them unsuitable for tracking targets within the aircraft nose and compensating for moving targets or support structures.
Innovation Solution
A mount with three motor-rotatable rings, where the axes of rotation intersect at a virtual point coinciding with the sensor's geometric center of gravity, allowing for compact, rapid alignment and tracking of targets, using motors to drive the rings and ensuring stable rotation without additional torque compensation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the axes of rotation are arranged at angles to each other in existing sensor mounts, then the sensor can be aligned with a target, but the sensor exhibits wobbling movement during tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The mount is divided into three independently rotatable rings (first, second, and third rings), each with its own axis of rotation. These rings are stacked concentrically, allowing the sensor to be positioned at the common intersection point of all three axes. This segmentation enables precise angular adjustments along multiple axes while maintaining stability, as each ring handles a specific rotational degree of freedom without interfering with the others.
2Device complexity
If all axes of rotation coincide at a point outside the sensor, then the structure is simplified, but the sensor's center of gravity moves on a spherical surface causing instability
Solution Approach 1:
The three axes of rotation are arranged to intersect at a common point that coincides with the sensor's center of gravity. This creates an equipotential configuration where the center of gravity remains stationary during rotational movements, eliminating spherical motion and associated instabilities. The concentric stacking of the three rings ensures that all rotations occur around this stable intersection point, maintaining the sensor's gravitational equilibrium throughout the tracking operation.
3Productivity
If a compact mount structure is used for rapid alignment, then the alignment speed is improved, but the tracking capability with moving targets is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The mount incorporates three motor-driven rings that can be dynamically controlled to achieve both rapid alignment and continuous tracking. The motors enable the rings to rotate at variable speeds and directions, allowing the system to quickly reposition the sensor for alignment while also making continuous adjustments to track moving targets. The dynamic control of multiple rotational degrees of freedom provides the versatility needed for both fast positioning and adaptive tracking operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a holding device for a displaceable sensor (5), comprising two or three motor-rotable rings (2, 3, 4) for receiving a sensor (5). The rotational axes (R1, R2, R3) of the two or three motor-rotatable rings (2, 3, 4) are oblique to each other. The rotational axes (R1, R2, R3) are intersected in an appropriate manner in a virtual centre of gyration (VD).