Thermal Actuator Interface
Thermal Control Actuator Driver Electronics
The thermal actuator interface consists of driver electronics that translate active thermal control system commands into physical actions for heaters, valves, pumps, and louvers. Operating on the lunar surface without magnetospheric radiation shielding requires radiation-hardened components, including rad-hard H-bridge motor drivers and pulse-width modulation controllers rated for a 100-year operational life. The system executes proportional heater control via pulse-width modulation, valve positioning using stepper motor drivers, and pump speed regulation through variable-frequency drives. Real-time encoder interfaces and feedback loops monitor actuator health to detect stuck valves or failed heaters, enabling autonomous system reconfiguration around hardware faults.
Driver electronics commanding thermal actuators (heaters, valves, pumps, louvers)
Purpose
Translate control algorithm outputs to physical actuator commands
Context
Child of L2-TCS-CTRL in the Active Thermal Control System
Principles
- ▸PWM drivers for proportional heater control enable smooth power modulation
- ▸Stepper motor drivers for valve positioning provide precise flow control
- ▸Variable-frequency drives for pump speed modulation optimize flow rates
- ▸Actuator health monitoring detects stuck valves or failed heaters
Typical implementations
- ▸ISS EATCS actuator driver electronics
- ▸Spacecraft mechanism drive electronics heritage
- ▸Industrial process control actuator interfaces
Lunar considerations
- ▸Radiation-hardened driver ICs required for 100-year lunar operation
- ▸Actuator feedback signals confirm commanded actions were executed
- ▸Failed actuator detection enables autonomous reconfiguration around failures
Specifications
Functional
| primary function | Driver electronics commanding thermal actuators (heaters, valves, pumps, louvers) |
Physical
| materials | Rad-hard H-bridge motor drivers, PWM controller ICs, Position encoder interfaces |
Interfaces
Provides
- Heater power switching commands
- Valve and pump actuator commands
Requires
- Control output signals from PID loops
Cite this entry
Lunar Ark Codex. "Thermal Actuator Interface" (L3-TCS-CTRL-ACT). Retrieved 10 September 2026, from https://lunarark.com/entry/L3-TCS-CTRL-ACT
Licensed CC-BY-SA 4.0. You may reuse and adapt this entry with attribution, under the same licence.