Magnetic torquer control with thruster augmentation
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for controlling yaw and roll excursions in a spacecraft having on-board components including at least some of magnetic torquers, a roll thruster, momentum wheels, a wheel controller, an earth sensor, and a Digital Integrating Rate Assembly (DIRA) comprising:
- observer means on the spacecraft for receiving input signals containing information comprising the unbiased roll error from the earth sensor, yaw momentum measured from the wheel speeds, and commanded yaw and pitch momentum output from the wheel controller, and producing therefrom output signals indicative of yaw estimate, yaw momentum estimate and torque disturbances estimate; and
controller means on the spacecraft for receiving said output signals and combining them with inputs containing information comprising minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw controller gain and minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw momentum controller gain, and producing therefrom a signal for commanding the operation of the magnetic torquers to change roll momentum when within the dead band of the signal and for commanding the operation of both the magnetic torquers and the roll thruster to change roll momentum when the threshold of the dead band is exceeded, whereby the yaw attitude and yaw excursions are controlled.
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Abstract
Apparatus and a method is presented for controlling yaw and roll excursions in a spacecraft having on-board components such as magnetic torquers, a roll thruster, momentum wheels, a wheel controller, an earth sensor, and a Digital Integrating Rate Assembly (DIRA). An observer module on the spacecraft receives inputs containing information comprising the unbiased roll error from the earth sensor, yaw momentum measured from the wheel speeds, and commanded yaw and pitch momentum output from the wheel controller, and produces therefrom output signals indicative of yaw estimate, yaw momentum estimate and torque disturbances estimate. A controller module on the spacecraft receives the output signals and combines them with inputs containing information comprising minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw controller gain and minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw momentum controller gain, and produces therefrom a signal for commanding the operation of the magnetic torquers to change roll momentum when within the dead band of the signal and, alternatively, for commanding the operation of both the magnetic torquers and the roll thruster to change roll momentum when the threshold of the dead band is exceeded. By so doing, the yaw attitude and yaw excursions are controlled.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. Apparatus for controlling yaw and roll excursions in a spacecraft having on-board components including at least some of magnetic torquers, a roll thruster, momentum wheels, a wheel controller, an earth sensor, and a Digital Integrating Rate Assembly (DIRA) comprising:
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observer means on the spacecraft for receiving input signals containing information comprising the unbiased roll error from the earth sensor, yaw momentum measured from the wheel speeds, and commanded yaw and pitch momentum output from the wheel controller, and producing therefrom output signals indicative of yaw estimate, yaw momentum estimate and torque disturbances estimate; and
controller means on the spacecraft for receiving said output signals and combining them with inputs containing information comprising minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw controller gain and minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw momentum controller gain, and producing therefrom a signal for commanding the operation of the magnetic torquers to change roll momentum when within the dead band of the signal and for commanding the operation of both the magnetic torquers and the roll thruster to change roll momentum when the threshold of the dead band is exceeded, whereby the yaw attitude and yaw excursions are controlled. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4)
wherein said observer means further comprises means for receiving an input containing information indicative of yaw rate from the DIRA when available. -
3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including:
means for providing input signals indicative of roll and yaw momentum changes to said observer means, wherein said input signals are indicative of roll and yaw momentum increases due to solar torques and expected response from the thruster firings and magnetic torquer outputs.
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4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1
wherein said observer means employs the following spacecraft dynamic equations of motion, as corrected: -
for providing said output signals where the terms are defined as follows;
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5. A method for controlling yaw and roll excursions in spacecraft having on-board components including at least some of magnetic torquers, a roll thruster, momentum wheels, a wheel controller, an earth sensor, and a Digital Integrating Rate Assembly (DIRA) comprising the steps of:
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receiving input signals containing information comprising the unbiased roll error from the earth sensor, yaw and pitch momentum measured from the wheel speeds, and commanded yaw momentum output from the wheel controller;
producing from said input signals output signals indicative of yaw estimate, yaw momentum estimate and torque disturbances output; and
combining said output signals with a minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw controller gain and a minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw momentum controller gain, and producing therefrom a signal for commanding the operation of the magnetic torquers to change roll momentum when within the dead band of the signal and for commanding the operation of both the magnetic torquers and the roll thruster to change roll momentum when the threshold of the dead band is exceeded, whereby the yaw attitude and yaw excursions are controlled. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8)
wherein said input signals include a signal containing information indicative of yaw rate from the DIRA when available. -
7. A method as set forth in claim 5
wherein said input signals include information indicative of roll and yaw momentum changes due to solar torques and expected response from the thruster firings and magnetic torquer outputs. -
8. A method as set forth in claim 5
wherein the input signals are defined by the following spacecraft dynamic equations of motion, as corrected: -
where the terms are those defined as follows;
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9. A system for controlling yaw and roll excursions in a spacecraft having on-board components including at least some of magnetic torquers, a roll thruster, momentum wheels, a wheel controller, an earth sensor, and a Digital Integrating Rate Assembly (DIRA) comprising:
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means on the spacecraft for producing input signals indicative of roll and yaw momentum increases due to solar torques or thruster firings;
observer means on the spacecraft for receiving said input signals containing information comprising the unbiased roll error from the earth sensor, yaw and pitch momentum measured from the wheel speeds, and commanded yaw momentum output from the wheel controller, and producing therefrom output signals indicative of the yaw estimate, the yaw momentum estimate and torque disturbances estimate; and
controller means on the spacecraft for receiving said output signals and combining said yaw estimate output signal with a signal indicative of minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw controller gain and combining said yaw momentum estimate output signal after dead banding with a signal indicative of minimum yaw error and roll thrust yaw momentum controller gain, and producing from a combination of said combinings a signal for commanding the operation of the magnetic torquers to change roll momentum when within the dead band of the signal and for commanding the operation of both the magnetic torquers and the roll thruster to change roll momentum when the threshold of the dead band is exceeded, whereby the yaw attitude and yaw excursions are controlled. - View Dependent Claims (10)
for providing said output signals where the terms are defined as
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Specification
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Current AssigneeSpace Systems/Loral Incorporated (Loral Space and Communications Incorporated)
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Original AssigneeSpace Systems/Loral Incorporated (Loral Space and Communications Incorporated)
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InventorsCielaszyk, David, Holmes, Thomas J.
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Primary Examiner(s)Zanelli, Michael J.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Gibson, Eric M
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Application NumberUS09/512,688Time in Patent Office572 DaysField of Search701/13, 244/164, 244/166, 244/171US Class Current701/13CPC Class CodesB64G 1/244 Spacecraft control systems
