Thales

Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique

Université De Provence

L'universite De Provence

Laurent Blanchard

Jean Dupuis

Yannick Baudasse

Frédéric Falzon

François Guinot

Arnaud Liotard

Julien Ducarne

Helen Reveron

Jérôme Chevalier

Guillaume Perrin

Gilbert Fantozzi

Aurélien Pelletant

Yann Vitupier

Arnaud Allezy

Francois Guinot

Christian Hochard

Freddy Geyer

A solar generator deployment device includes at least one primary tape-spring supporting a flexible membrane with a set of flexible photovoltaic cells on one face, at least one secondary tape-spring, and a reinforcing structure attached to the primary tape-spring and secondary tape-spring, said device having a wound state in which the primary tape-spring supporting the flexible membrane and secondary tape-spring and reinforcing structure are co-wound around a mandrel; and an unwound state in which said primary tape-spring and secondary tape-spring are unwound. The device comprises, at the level of said mandrel, means for offsetting, in the unwound state, the root of said secondary tape-spring so that the reinforcing structure is deployed within a volume situated on the side opposite the face of the flexible membrane comprising flexible photovoltaic cells and supports said flexible membrane, the device then being in the deployed state.

Boxed unwindable solar generator

A process for manufacturing a sintered ceramic composite, based on silicon nitride and &#x3b2;-eucryptite, includes a step of producing a first powder blend, consisting of a powder of silicon nitride in crystalline form and a powder of a first lithium aluminosilicate in crystalline form, the composition of which is the following: (LiO)(AlO)(SiO), the lithium aluminosilicate composition being such that the set of molar fractions (x,y,z) is different from the set (1,1,2).

Process for manufacturing a ceramic composite based on silicon nitride and &#x3b2;-eucryptite

A device supporting a first and a second element of a piece of space equipment. The device includes at least two deployable flexible arms each having a first end and a second end, the ends are secured respectively to the first and second elements and each designed to adopt at least one initial position folded in curves and an unfolded final position, in which positions they hold the first element away from the second element by first and second chosen distances respectively, the second distance being greater than the first.

Support device for elements on a piece of space equipment with flexible deploying arms

A device for damping of vibrations for an item of equipment comprising a structure to which a first element and a second fragile element having to be protected from the vibrations are coupled. The device comprises first piezoelectric transducer means inserted between the structure and the first element and charged with converting energy of vibration of the structure into electric energy, at least one sensor coupled to the structure and arranged to deliver measurement signals representative of vibrations, control means electrically supplied by the electric energy generated and charged with deducing at least one amplitude of movement to compensate at least partially for the vibration, and to deliver control signals representative of each determined amplitude, and second piezoelectric transducer means inserted between the structure and the second element and charged with converting the control signals into movement to damp at least partially for the second element the vibrations.

Device for the active damping of the vibrations experienced by a fragile part of moving equipment, with autonomous power supply

A device (D) is dedicated to fixing a first piece of equipment (E) relative to a second piece of equipment (E). The device has (i) a structure having a rigid central body (CC) prolonged by two approximately identical terminal bodies (CT, CT) each having a neck defining a flexible intermediate part (PD, PD) that is symmetric relative to a symmetry element, prolonged by a rigid internal part (PI, PI) that is symmetric relative to the symmetry element and joined to one of the ends of the central body (CC), and by a rigid external part (PE, PE) that is symmetric relative to a symmetry element, spaced from the internal part, and intended to be joined to the first (E) or second (E) piece of equipment. The device has (ii) at least two piezoelectric transducers (T-T) with each responsible for converting either an axial dimensional change into a measurement current representing the amplitude of the change, or a control current into a corresponding axial dimensional change. The device has (iii) control means (MC) responsible for determining at least one axial dimensional change to locate the first piece of equipment (E) relative to the second piece of equipment (E).

Device for fixing a first equipment item to a second equipment item, with active micropositioning

The invention relates to a measuring tape () comprising a stack of at least two layers, characterized in that it also includes a first layer, called support layer, based on composite material () and a layer, called top layer, () based on a polymer having a high glass transition temperature so that, in conditions of use, said polymer is in a glassy state to maintain the element in the wound or folded position. The invention also relates to a deployable structure including said measuring tape intended notably for space applications.

Measuring tape with thermal deployment and deployable structure comprising said measuring tape

Growing community of inventors

Mouans-Sartoux, France

Laurent Blanchard