Device for temporarily locking a rotor, in particular a magnetically suspended rotor of an inertia wheel for space applications

摘要

According to the invention, a “Geneva” movement mechanism is used which is turned in one direction or the other by an electric motor. The mechanism comprises a “Maltese” cross turning about the axis of rotation of the rotor and supporting an annular piece. The Maltese cross is mechanically coupled to a ball screw lying on said axis of rotation so as to transform the turning notion into motion that includes a linear component, thereby enabling the annular piece to be moved at will towards and away from the rotor so as to make it possible to obtain contact and then blocking in a self-blocking manner against a fixed wall, or on the contrary so as to release the rotor by moving the annular piece in translation in the opposite direction. The invention is applicable to an inertia wheel for controlling the attitude of a satellite.