Deployment & Positioning
Two-Axis Gimbal
Product Features
The Two-Axis Gimbal is a solar array positioning system being developed by Honeybee Robotics to be part of the Deployable Structures Experiment with the Air Force Research Labs (AFRL).
The initial engineering challenge was to design a biaxial gimbal which would accurately maintain the position of large, flexible, thin-film solar array in relation to both the host spacecraft and the sun, providing continuous sun-pointing to within 1.3 degrees. Honeybee’s design addressed the stringent performance requirements with the use of harmonic drives for precision gearing, output position feedback, transmission of both power and data across rotating mechanical interfaces, and active thermal controls.
Brassboard hardware was developed and tested for a single axis, demonstrating the gimbal’s ability to effectively handle the large inertial load required. Honeybee continues to work with AFRL with our design efforts refocused on advanced Rolling Contact Connector (RCC) technology.