Design and experiments of an active isolator for satellite micro-vibration

In this paper, a soft active isolator (SAI) derived from a voice coil motor is studied to determine its abilities as a micro-vibration isolation device for sensitive satellite payloads. Firstly, the two most important parts of the SAI, the mechanical unit and the low-noise driver, are designed and manufactured. Then, a rigid-flexible coupling dynamic model of the SAI is built, and a dynamic analysis is conducted. Furthermore, a controller with a sky-hook damper is designed. Finally, results from the performance tests of the mechanical/electronic parts and the isolation experiments are presented. The SAI attenuations are found to be more than −20 dB above 5 Hz, and the control effect is stable.