Land Based Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)

ROV's are used in situations where it's too dangerous or impractical for humans:

• Bomb / Mine detection & removal, more commonly referred as EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal)
• Standing guard in exposed and dangerous positions
• Combat duty. We are seeing more ROV's equipped with weapons.

Typical Requirements

• Low voltage – 20 to 80VDC
• High Current – 30 to +100A peak on the drive wheels
• Lightweight and small package size
• High Efficiency – to conserve batteries
• Rugged and high quality design - depending on the quantity involved we can build to shock and vibration specifications, however it is more common for the OEM to reinforce internal components themselves.

Case Study: Remotely Operated Vehicles

To reduce cost and better tailor the drive to the application, custom designs are very common. Current loop tuning will make the system more efficient and responsive. Other modifications include: increased current output, customized peak/continuous profiles, size/shape modifications to help integrate the drive into the chassis, connectorization, removal of pots & switches, multi-axis solutions, etc.

• 120A10 - Modified
• DPRALTE-060B080 - Custom
• 50A8
• BE40A8
• B30A8 - Custom 2-axis
• DZRALTE-012L080 - Custom
• AZ12A8

• Propulsion: wheels or treads
• Gripper Arms
• Wheel Articulators
• Camera Control
• Weapons Control

• Z-Drives
• 25A8
• DPRALTE-040B080
• DPRALTE-060B080
• B100A8

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV)

UAV's for reconnaissance and surveillance have many uses for servo drives. These include propulsion, on-board radar control, camera positioning and yaw, pitch and roll control. Fixed wing aircraft are the most common but rotary and lighter than air vehicles can also be found.

• 12A8
• 25A8
• B30A8 - Custom

• Camera
• Propulsion
• Radar
• Control Surfaces

• Z-Drives
• B40A20I

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)

In underwater vehicles, AMC powers the propulsion, points cameras and operates the control surfaces.

• AZ12A8

• Propulsion
• Camera
• Control Surfaces

• 50A8

Automated X-ray for luggage/parcels

Automated x-ray systems are used to inspect the high volumes of luggage and parcels at airports. These systems are installed behind the scenes, in-line with the baggage handling system. They inspect checked luggage (vs. carry-on) and are the fastest in the industry.

Machines use Computed Tomography (CT) to analyze material properties to look for matches with known explosives. Suspected materials are displayed on a screen for the operator to determine if there is a real threat.

• B30A40
• B40A40

• Conveyor belt
• Scanning ring
• Open/close lead lined doors

• DPCANIE-030A400
• DPCANIE-060A400

Weapons Platforms

Most weapons platforms that point a gun, control the azimuth and elevation to aim the gun. However, we are also in applications where the drive is used to power the hydraulic system for the turret on armored personnel carriers (APC’s).

Guns can be mounted to standard military vehicles such as APC’s and ROV’s but the can also be installed in modified SUV’s for security applications. In the SUV application, the gun retracts into the vehicle when not in use.

• DPCANTA-020B080 - Modified
• B40A8

• Z-Drives
• DPCANTE-040B080
• DPCANTE-060B080

Antenna Positioning

We are on a lot of azimuth-elevation applications for antenna positioning. Applications are not limited to just communications, we're even on a non-lethal directed energy weapon for crowd control. Called an Active Denial System (ADS) and nicknamed the 'pain ray', this weapon focuses electromagnetic radiation at subjects up to half a kilometer away. When hit, the victim feels intense burning over the exposed area similar to a light bulb pressed against the skin. Supposedly there is no damage, as the penetration is less than 1/64 of an inch (about where your nerve endings are).

A Reuters correspondent who volunteered to be shot with the beam during a demonstration described it as "similar to a blast from a very hot oven - too painful to bear without diving for cover. For the first millisecond, it just felt like the skin was warming up. Then it got warmer and warmer and you felt like it was on fire.... As soon as you're away from that beam your skin returns to normal and there is no pain.

• DPRAHIR-030A400 - Modified

• Pan / Tilt

• DPRAHIR-015A400
• DPRAHIR-060A400