SubscribeHitherto known in the defence world for its electromechanical drives developed with a view to eliminating hydraulics in armoured vehicle production and upgrades, Curtiss-Wright in Switzerland has embarked on a new activity with two aims.
In fact, the industrial activities of the company can be traced back in the 1950s, when it was known as SIGAntriebstechnik (drive techniques) until it came under the fold of North Carolina based Curtiss-Wright Controls. Still based in Neuhausen near Schaffhausen, the Swiss segment of Curtiss-Wright continues to develop state-of-the-art electromechanical drives, but also tilting controls for high-speed trains, as well as highly specialised semi-active suspensions for armoured vehicles.
One of the latest developments in this field is the high-performance Hydrops. Configuration of the latter can be standard (i.e. all in line with the gas chamber and the telescopic element) or, when space is a concern, as a twin-tube design whereby the gas chamber is parallel with the telescopic element. 
This is undoubtedly a boon when it comes to fitting top-performance dampers to upgraded armoured vehicles, which have a strong propensity to put on some weight in any upgrade process. They can thus be fitted with the same damping technology as that of the latest German armoured vehicle, the Puma, no less.
Having spotted a void in the field of multiple-axis electric motocontrol systems, Curtiss-Wright not only decided to fill it, but to doso in a flexible manner and by making a maximum use of commercial off-the-shelf (cotshardware and software.
Most specifically in the firm's cross-hairs are all the electric motors that drive remotely-controlled devices, such as overhead light gun turrets, missile launchers and autoloaders, the sweep angle of which need to be accurately monitored. This concerns new builds as well as retrofit programmes. The challenge is to get the items to move as quickly as possible and stop dead on the required spot.
According to Curtiss-Wright each processor is devoted to only one motor, which explains why the system can achieve much tighter loop controls, leading to zero error. (Armada/EHB)
The result of Curtiss-Wright's designers' efforts is the Smart Motion Controller that was unveiled in June 2006 at Eurosatory and photographed by the author, as seen below. The unit featured in our litle picture is a two-axis system.
To prove the point about the ruggedness of the Smart Motion Controller, Curtiss-Wright displayed an operational unit immersed in a Perspex water tank for the duration of the Eurosatory exhibition. (Armada/EHB)
Before we dwell into the technical aspects, it must be emphasised that the system was designed from the outset to offer maximum flexibility, not only from a user's point of view, but also from a designer's standpoint. In otherwords, not only is the overall concept flexible enough to offer a number of channels (up to four in a standard casing) but it can also be tested by a potential client and subsequently remodelled by Curtiss-Wright to meet needs in terms of physical constraints.
This artwork of an air defence missile turret complete with search and tracking radars illustrates a typical application for the Smart Motion Controller. (Curtiss-Wright)
This also applies to the Smart-View software, which is Windows-based and can thus be tailor-cut and trimmed to fit the application. With such an approach, development to customer specification can be significantly reduced. The same cots approach applies to the peripherals, such as the hand-control (joysticks) - a philosophy that leads to lower development and production cost, and thereby shorter delivery times.
In terms of customers, interest seems to be growing apace since Rafael, Kongsberg and CMI (the latter for an autoloader application) have already approached Curtiss-Wright.
This photo montage shows how four motion processors can be put together into one sealed unit, incorporating as an option an electromagnetic impulse filter. (Curtiss-Wright)
Technical Characteristics
Typically, each controller can handle a 2000-watt motor output under 28 volts. Essentially a single-card unit, it carries its own power electronics and heat sink, but is only 76 mm wide (three inches), and four will fit in a standard 3HE, 19-inch rack. Independent card modules are simply linked together, providing flexibility and maximum upgrade potential. The customer can link as many units as his traffic will allow.
