SAR Rails and Portable Rotators
SPC has designed and constructed a number of special purpose rails to
support customer requirements. Below are descriptions of some of these projects. An
overview of
SPC's rails and rotators can be downloaded as a 1.3Mb PDF file.
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The PPIRCS rail is capable of 18.5 feet of linear travel, +/-60 degrees of azimuth travel and +/-10 degrees
of elevation travel. The rail base is constructed of composite material and is designed to be moved with
either a specialized positioner (area position, height, tilt) or a simple fork lift (area position, height).
Motion along the rail in all axes is controlled with a PMAC controller. Spotlight illumination can be
accomplished.
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The DIR rail was designed to provide 18 feet of linear travel, 8 feet of height adjustment, and +4/-1
degrees of elevation travel. Height control is accomplished on the carriage. The entire positioner
can be rolled along a track, using motorized assist, to any of three designated azimuth positions.
All motion is controlled via PMAC.
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The BAE Systems rail was designed to accomplish 32 feet of linear travel but to be stowed with a length of
only 15 feet. This was accomplished using three automatically telescoping sections that deploy as the
carriage moves along its designated path. The carriage provides +/-60 degrees of azimuth travel and +/-30
degrees of elevation travel that can be controlled for spotlight illumination. The rail system can be
attached to a special purpose Hubtex fork truck that is capable of omnidirectional area motion (either
manual, programmed or wire guided) and can lift the rail to a height of 7m.
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The Low Profile Rotator (LPR) was developed for use in environments where a tall rotator is
simply not practical. An LPR is currently used in SPC's indoor range which does
not have a pit for a recessed ISAR rotator. The LPR is 28" in diameter by 6.5" tall, can produce
250 in-lbs of torque, and has a maximum speed of 35 RPM. It can support loads up to 200 lbs and
has no rotation limits. The rotator is controlled via PMAC.
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A light-duty, inexpensive rotator/linear rail pair has been developed for indoor range use. A single
PMAC-based motion control system controls both units.
By placing the target on the rotator and the antenna on the vertically-oriented rail, 3-D imaging
can be performed with the MkVe. The rail is 36" long and can be mounted either vertically or
horizontally on a standard tripod. The rotator is 8" in diameter and 4" tall. With a sheet-metal
base and a wooden column mount, the dimensions are increased to 28" in diameter by 6" tall.
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