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Ryan Stockton

Senior Robotics Engineer with extensive experience designing and developing novel actuators and precision mechanisms for extreme environments

Ryan Stockton

Senior Robotics Engineer with extensive experience designing and developing novel actuators and precision mechanisms for extreme environments

Lunar Terrain Vehicle Propulsion

  • Dual Parker Hannifin frameless BLDC motor per wheel (4 motors per wheel module)

  • 27:1 planetary geartrain

  • 1200 Nm output torque per wheel

  • Frameless resolver sensor for motor commutation

  • Custom fail-safe brake disc and caliper on backside of motor

  • Integrated temperature sensors 

  • Novel threaded bearing ring locking geometry currently being patented by NASA

  • Output drives wheel through center-lock nut with torque studs

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Lunar Terrain Vehicle Steering

  • Parker Hannifin frameless BLDC motor

  • 1000:1 overall ratio

  • Dual stage planetary gearset driving worm gearset

  • 600 degrees of rotation with hard-stops on each end utilizing rotary cascading hard-stop.

  • Frameless resolver for motor commutation

  • Zettlex frameless inductive encoder for absolute position

  • Propulsion assists the steering actuator in high load cases

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Lunar Terrain Vehicle Suspension

  • Parker Hannifin frameless BLDC motor

  • 9322:1 overall gear ratio

  • Custom planetary inside of strain-wave gearset driving a worm gearset

  • 15,000 Nm output torque

  • Frameless resolver for motor commutation

  • Zettlex frameless inductive encoder for absolute position

  • Shock drive arm pushes and pulls the shock and spring to raise and lower vehicle

  • Vehicle ground clearance range of 8-24 inches

  • Series-elastic actuator utilizes sensors measuring the position of the active arm and sensor measuring the position of the lower control arm to determine load on each wheel module.

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Dust Tolerant Mechanisms Propulsion

  • Dual output actuator designed to drive Chariot Unpressurized Rover "Dually" wheels

  • Two Parker Hannifin frameless BLDC motors per side of actuator

  • 100:1 three stage planetary gearset

  • Integrated heaters and temperature sensors to warm actuator to operating temperature

  • First use of locking-pin threaded ring technology widely used on the LTV rover

  • Frameless resolver for motor commutation

  • Integrated Kendrion fail-safe brake on backside of motor stack

  • Spring-energized teflon seal and nomex felt seal with labyrinth to prevent dust intrusion

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Mobile Utility Transporter Propulsion

  • Dual brushed motor per wheel

  • Custom 23:1 Cycloidal gearbox with dry-film lubricant

  • Brushed motors chosen so that no active electronics were needed to relieve schedule pressure

  • Dog-gear mechanism allows wheel to freewheel in case of actuator failure

  • Brass cup-cone brake that also functions as a heat transfer path to remove heat from motor

  • Designed to survive lunar night with no heaters

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Micro-Chariot Propulsion

  • Parker Hannifin frameless BLDC motor with integrated hall sensors

  • 30:1 Harmonic Drive Gearset

  • Heaters and temperature sensors to bring actuator to operational temperature in vacuum

  • Carbon-Graphene thermal strap to sink heat into chassis

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