The KMOS Instrument is built to be one of the second generation VLT instruments. It is a highly complex multi-object spectrograph for the near infrared. Nearly 60 cryogenic mechanisms have to be controlled. This includes 24 deployable Pick-Off arms, three filter and grating wheels as well as three focus stages and four lamps with an attenuator wheel. These mechanisms and a calibration unit are supervised by three control cabinets based on the VLT standards. To follow the rotation of the Nasmyth adaptor the cabinets are mounted into a Co-rotating structure. The presentation will highlight the requirements on the electronics control and how these are met by new technologies applying a compact and reliable signal distribution. To enable high density wiring within the given space envelope flex-rigid printed circuit board designs have been installed. In addition an electronic system that detects collisions between the moving Pick-Off arms will be presented for safe operations. The control system is designed to achieve two micron resolution as required by optomechanical and flexure constraints. Dedicated LVDT sensors are capable to identify the absolute positions of the Pick- Off arms. These contribute to a safe recovery procedure after power failure or accidental collision.

Date Published: 15 July 2010
PDF: 11 pages
Proc. SPIE 7735, Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III, 77352Q (15 July 2010); doi: 10.1117/12.857988

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7735:
Ground-based and Airborne Instrumentation for Astronomy III
Ian S. McLean; Suzanne K. Ramsay; Hideki Takami, Editor(s)