Low-frequency Periodic Error Identification and Compensation for Star Tracker Attitude Measurement

The low-frequency periodic error of star tracker is one of the most critical problems for high-accuracy satellite attitude determination.In this paper an approach is proposed to identify and compensate the low-frequency periodic error for star tracker in attitude measurement.The analytical expression between the estimated gyro drift and the low-frequency periodic error of star tracker is derived firstly.And then the low-frequency periodic error,which can be expressed by Fourier series,is identified by the frequency spectrum of the estimated gyro drift according to the solution of the first step.Furthermore,the compensated model of the low-frequency periodic error is established based on the identified parameters to improve the attitude determination accuracy.Finally,promising simulated experimental results demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed method.The periodic error for attitude determination is eliminated basically and the estimation precision is improved greatly.     

Testability integrated evaluation method based on testability virtual test data

Testability virtual test is a new test method for testability verification, which has the advantages such as low cost, few restrictions and large sample of test data. It can be used to make up the deficiency of testability physical test. In order to take the advantage of testability virtual test data effectively and to improve the accuracy of testability evaluation, a testability integrated eval- uation method is proposed in this paper based on testability virtual test data. Considering the char- acteristic of testability virtual test data, the credibility analysis method for testability virtual test data is studied firstly. Then the integrated calculation method is proposed fusing the testability vir- tual and physical test data. Finally, certain helicopter heading and attitude system is presented to demonstrate the proposed method. The results show that the testability integrated evaluation method is feasible and effective.     

Near minimum-time feedback attitude control with multiple saturation constraints for agile satellites

Agile satellites are of importance in modern aerospace applications,but high mobility of the satellites may cause them vulnerable to saturation during attitude maneuvers due to limited rating of actuators.This paper proposes a near minimum-time feedback control law for the agile satellite attitude control system.The feedback controller is formed by specially designed cascaded sub-units.The rapid dynamic response of the modified Bang–Bang control logic achieves the near optimal property and ensures the non-saturation properties on three-axis.To improve the dynamic performance,a model reference control strategy is proposed,in which the on-line near optimal attitude maneuver path is generated by the cascade controller and is then tracked by a nonlinear back-stepping controller.Furthermore,the accuracy and the robustness of the control system are achieved by momentum-based on-line inertial identification.The rapid attitude maneuvering can be applied for tasks including the move to move case.Numerical simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy in terms of the saturation-free property and rapidness.     

An improved quaternion Gauss–Newton algorithm for attitude determination using magnetometer and accelerometer

For the vector attitude determination, the traditional optimal algorithms which are based on quaternion estimator(QUEST) measurement noise model are complicated for just two observations. In our application, the magnetometer and accelerometer are not two comparable kinds of sensors and both are not small field-of-view sensors as well. So in this paper a new unit measurement model is derived. According to the Wahba problem, the optimal weights for each measurement are obtained by the error variance researches. Then an improved quaternion Gauss–Newton method is presented and adopted to acquire attitude. Eventually, simulation results and experimental validation employed to test the proposed method demonstrate the usefulness of the improved algorithm.     

DOA estimation for attitude determination on communication satellites

In order to determine an appropriate attitude of three-axis stabilized communication satellites, this paper describes a novel attitude determination method using direction of arrival （DOA） estimation of a ground signal source. It differs from optical measurement, magnetic field measurement, inertial measurement, and global positioning system （GPS） attitude determination. The proposed method is characterized by taking the ground signal source as the attitude reference and acquiring attitude information from DOA estimation. Firstly, an attitude measurement equation with DOA estimation is derived in detail. Then, the error of the measurement equation is analyzed. Finally, an attitude determination algorithm is presented using a dynamic model, the attitude measurement equation, and measurement errors. A developing low Earth orbit （LEO） satellite which tests mobile communication technology with smart antennas can be stabilized in three axes by corporately using a magnetometer, reaction wheels, and three-axis magnetorquer rods. Based on the communication satellite, simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. The method could be a backup of attitude determination to prevent a system failure on the satellite. Its precision depends on the number of snapshots and the input signal-to-noise ratio （SNR） with DOA estimation.     

A GPA diagnostic system foraeroengine applications

In this research, a GPA(Gas Path Analysis) diagnostic system enhanced with GPA Index is described for gas path sensor and component fault diagnosis.A method of measurement correction is used in order that the measurement data obtained at un-standard ambient and operating conditions can be used for diagnostic analysis.The developed diagnostic system has been implemented into a Cranfield University gas turbine performance and diagnostic analysis software PYTHIA for gas turbine performance degradation analysis.The developed method and software have been applied to a model aero gas turbine engine to test the effectiveness of the system.The analysis shows that the developed diagnostic system can diagnose degraded sensor and components effectively using performance deviation measured at un-standard ambient and operational conditions.Theoretically, the idea of the diagnostic approach can be applied to different gas turbine engines.      

Residual stress analysis of multi-pass cold spinning process

Uncontrolled residual stresses have significant effects on the service time and defects of the spun parts. Nowadays, X-Ray Diffraction(XRD) method has been widely used in the residual stress measurement of industry products with different forming processes. The calculated residual stress is usually obtained from the data fitting slope of strain and angle with Ordinary Least Squares(OLS) method. But this fitting method is not always suitable for the big fluctuant data. In this paper, the Weighted...     

Electrochemical machining of a convex strips structure on a revolving part by using site directed power interruption

Revolving parts with complex surface structures are widely used in machinery and mechanical equipment. The ECM process provides its adequacy to cut hard materials with different shapes, and its applications are widely increased, due to its outstanding advantages. In this paper, a new method for machining a convex strips structure on a cylinder by using site directed power interruption(SDPI) in the ECM process is presented. A variable correction value of the power-off time was defined and optimized to obtain the ideal interval for better machining accuracy and stability.The electric field distribution and the simulated convex profiles show that the stray current density can be reduced effectively by using the proposed method. The correction value has an important influence on the machining accuracy. A suitable correction value in the range of 0.6–1.2 s can effectively improve the machining accuracy of the convex strips structure. Experiments were also conducted to verify the proposed method. Results have confirmed that the stray corrosion on the convex strips surface is significantly reduced and the machining accuracy of convex strips structure is remarkably improved by using the proposed method with a suitable correction value in the ECM process. Finally, a convex strip with a height of 2 mm on a thin-wall revolving part was also produced successfully using a correction value of 0.9.     

A data transmission scheduling algorithm for rapid-response earth-observing operations

With the development of rapid-response Earth-observing techniques, the demand for reducing a requirements-tasking-effects cycle from 1 day to hours grows rapidly. For instance, a satellite user always wants to receive requested data in near real-time to support their urgent mis- sions, such as dealing with wildfires, volcanoes, flooding events, etc. In this paper, we try to reduce data transmission time for achieving this goal. The new feature of a responsive satellite is that users can receive signals from it directly. Therefore, the traditional satellite control and operational tech- niques need to be improved to accommodate these changes in user needs and technical upgrading. With that in mind, a data transmission topological model is constructed. Based on this model, we can deal with the satellite data transmission problem as a multi-constraint and multi-objective path- scheduling problem. However, there are many optional data transmission paths for each target based on this model, and the shortest path is preferred. In addition, satellites represent scarce resources that must be carefully scheduled in order to satisfy as many consumer requests as possible. To efficiently balance response time and resource utilization, a K-shortest path genetic algorithm is proposed for solving the data transmission problem. Simulations and analysis show the feasibility and the adaptability of the proposed approach.     

A novel intelligent adaptive control of laser-based ground thermal test

Laser heating technology is a type of potential and attractive space heat flux simulation technology, which is characterized by high heating rate, controlled spatial intensity distribution and rapid response. However, the controlled plant is nonlinear, time-varying and uncertainty when implementing the laser-based heat flux simulation. In this paper, a novel intelligent adaptive controller based on proportion–integration–differentiation(PID) type fuzzy logic is proposed to improve the performance of laser-based ground thermal test. The temperature range of thermal cycles is more than 200 K in many instances. In order to improve the adaptability of controller,output scaling factors are real time adjusted while the thermal test is underway. The initial values of scaling factors are optimized using a stochastic hybrid particle swarm optimization(H-PSO)algorithm. A validating system has been established in the laboratory. The performance of the proposed controller is evaluated through extensive experiments under different operating conditions(reference and load disturbance). The results show that the proposed adaptive controller performs remarkably better compared to the conventional PID(PID) controller and the conventional PID type fuzzy(F-PID) controller considering performance indicators of overshoot, settling time and steady state error for laser-based ground thermal test. It is a reliable tool for effective temperature control of laser-based ground thermal test.     

Star trackers for attitude determination

One problem comes to all spacecrafts using vector information. That is the problem of determining the attitude. This paper describes how the area of attitude determination instruments has evolved from simple pointing devices into the latest technology, which determines the attitude by utilizing a CCD camera and a powerful microcomputer. The instruments are called star trackers and they are capable of determining the attitude with an accuracy better than 1 arcsecond. The concept of the star tracker is explained. The obtainable accuracy is calculated, the numbers of stars to be included in the star catalogue are discussed and the acquisition of the initial attitude is explained. Finally the commercial market for star trackers is discussed     

基于纵向滤波的星敏感器低频误差在线估计

多敏感器数据融合是获得更高精度姿态测量的有效方法，敏感器数据融合前必须先修正低频误差。首先，介绍了星敏感器低频误差（LFE）的产生机理及对其在线估计的必要性。其次，针对传统算法的不足，提出了基于纵向滤波的低频误差在线估计算法，该算法将传统低频误差估计问题转化为若干个常值误差估计问题，提高了估计精度。最后，给出了该算法具体实施方式，说明相关参数物理意义及选取原则。通过理论分析及仿真，算法误差可忽略不计。通过在轨数据仿真，星敏感器轨道周期低频误差可被消除。     

卡尔曼滤波在自旋卫星章动控制中的应用

细长体结构卫星的自旋运动是不稳定的,章动有发散趋势,须进行实时的章动监视,且章动角的测量值包含有误差.通过引入一个离散控制过程的系统,介绍了卡尔曼滤波器的基本原理,建立了自旋卫星自旋运动简化的动力学模型,给出了运动方程和观测方程,详细地推导了适用于自旋卫星章动控制的卡尔曼滤波处理过程,利用该模型对某自旋卫星章动进行仿真计算,并对姿态章动联合控制和应急章动控制情况下的章动控制应用情况进行分析,得出结论：基于卡尔曼滤波的卫星章动角计算的方法正确、结果准确.     

重力梯度力矩引起的自旋稳定卫星姿态摄动

建立了自旋稳定卫星姿态摄动的数值分析方法及模型,对重力梯度力矩作用下自旋卫星自旋轴相对于地心惯性系进动和章动以及赤经和赤纬的变化进行了仿真分析。对重力梯度力矩引起的自旋稳定卫星姿态摄动的演化规律进行了研究。指出在重力梯度力矩的作用下：自旋轴指向绕轨道面法线进动;章动角速度远小于进动角速度;轨道角速度越大,星体相对于地心惯性系的进动角速度和章动角速度越大,赤经和赤纬的变化率越大;自旋角速度越大,星体相对于地心惯性系的进动角速度和章动角速度越小,赤经和赤纬的变化率越小。     

基于等倾角进动的自旋卫星姿态控制方法

姿态控制是自旋稳定卫星控制的基本任务之一,其控制方法有多种,本文主要针对等倾角法进行研究。首先介绍等倾角法姿态控制的基本原理,然后详细地给出姿态控制前需确定的理论执行角、实际执行次数和时延等控制量的具体计算方法,最后进行了姿态机动仿真控制。仿真结果表明,控制量的计算结果准确,控制过程的预测结果与实际控制过程一致。此方法已在多颗自旋卫星发射中得到应用和验证。     

Accuracy performance of star trackers - a tutorial

An autonomous star tracker is an avionics instrument used to provide the absolute 3-axis attitude of a spacecraft utilizing star observations. It consists of an electronic camera and associated processing electronics. The processor has the capability to perform star identification utilizing an internal star catalog stored in firmware and to calculate the attitude quaternion autonomously. Relevant parameters and characteristics of an autonomous star tracker are discussed in detail     

星敏感器安装误差标定技术研究

星敏感器是一类具有自主高精度姿态测量能力的仪器,输出姿态精度可达到角秒级。但实际组合导航应用中,星敏感器安装误差往往可达角分级,远远大于仪器本身误差,影响其使用品质,因此有必要在使用前对星敏感器安装误差进行建模标定。研究发现,星敏感器安装误差与惯导姿态误差存在耦合关系,难于分离。设计了一种快速标定方法,利用惯导输出姿态、位置信息以及星敏感器姿态输出构造观测量,建立卡尔曼滤波模型,通过滤波估计实现安装误差的地面标定。仿真结果表明,载体需要进行2个轴向上的机动才能将星敏感器三轴安装误差估计出来。相较于依靠外部基准姿态进行标定的方案,本方法具有快速高效、可操作性强等优点。     

基于章动原理实施推力器标定

为了保证在实施大的变轨过程中卫星的安全，必须进行推力器对偶性检验。卫星设计部门和地面工作人员根据卫星的特点，利用姿态数据及章动原理建立了一套标定推力器对称性的方法。此方法在地球同步三轴稳定卫星轨道维持过程中得到实际检验，效果良好。     

一种通过观测两颗恒星确定飞行器姿态的算法

本文介绍了通过固联安装在飞行器本体上的星跟踪器观测两颗恒星,确定飞行器姿态的一种算法,建立了相应的坐标系,推导了恒星观测角与描述飞行器姿态的四元数之间的关系。