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Designer's Corner
By John Lewis, Technical Editor -- Design News, September 6, 1999
Smart pressure belt
Current flight-load-test technology includes an array of plastic tubes and analog instrumentation to measure pressure across the aircraft's skin. The system is generally bulky and heavy, difficult to calibrate, cumbersome to install and remove, expensive to operate, and lacks the needed accuracy and reliability.
The pressure belt includes a series of low-profile smart sensor modules that measure pressure and temperature using silicon MEMS sensors. Digital sensor data is transmitted via the network bus, embedded in the polymeric belt. Pressure data is corrected digitally in real time for zero measured output and linearity inaccuracies over the temperature range.
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| The digital network and distributed processing design reduces interconnecting cables, improves reliability through smart sensor self-test capability, reduces susceptibility to EMI, and provides significant cost and cycle time benefits to flight-load testing. |
Bruce Swanson, Endevco Corp., 30700 Rancho Viejo Rd., San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675; (949) 493-8181.
Compact cooler
The HFC-22 (Heatsink/Fan/Clip) assembly, an option for the IM483H/IM805H microstepping hybrid drivers, takes up only 5.5 cu-inches of space when assembled with the driver.
Both drivers, designed to be soldered directly into a pc board, eliminate wiring and mounting to reduce design and assembly time, cut system cost, and increase reliability. In addition, each unit is 100% tested and comes with a two-year warranty.
| HFC-22 mounts easily to the driver with a removable clip, and maintains a reliable plate temperature without having to use large heat sinks and cumbersome mounting hardware. |
Intelligent Motion Systems Inc., Box 457, Marlborough, CT 06447; (860) 295-6102.
Twisting carrier
Unlike cable carriers that combine many articulation links, PROfile uses a single-piece extrusion that quiets and smoothes operation to reduce noise and wear. Cables and hoses install easily through longitudinal slits in the outer surface.
Similarly, the lack of any sliding surfaces in a self-supporting system reportedly achieves zero wear and zero abrasion debris over tens of millions of cycles a distinct benefit in clean room applications. Twelve basic sections or sizes combine to suit specific design requirements.
| PROfile cable carrier’s patented construction allows it to accommodate complex movement patterns that combine linear, rotary, or twisting. |
Kabelschlepp America, 7100 W. Marcia Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53223; (800) 443-4216.
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