柔性航天器姿态机动轨迹设计及跟踪控制

针对柔性航天器姿态机动的“快速性”及“稳定性”矛盾,研究了一种优化与控制综合的姿态机动轨迹设计与跟踪控制方法。首先,考虑柔性航天器姿态机动过程中既快又稳的需求,建立姿态机动的多目标多约束条件,优化获得姿态机动轨迹,在满足快速性基础上,最大限度提高稳定性;其次,设计新型的快速鲁棒输入成形器(FRIS),与传统输入成形器相比,FRIS具有更短的作用时间及更强的鲁棒性,能够有效抑制柔性附件振动,为姿态机动的“快速性”及“高精度”奠定基础;最后,设计新型自适应连续终端滑模控制器(ACTSMC),避免增益过估计,提高控制精度,实现对期望姿态轨迹的有限时间快速高精度跟踪控制。数值仿真校验了所提方法的有效性。     

固推约束下的火星表面起飞上升制导律设计

针对受固推约束的火星上升器(MAV)起飞上升问题,设计了上升段、无动力滑行段、入轨段三段式火星表面起飞上升全过程制导策略。首先,根据实际任务需求进行了上升器标称轨迹优化。其次,在上升段引入了阿波罗制导方法,通过类攻角和类侧滑角的控制实现对标称轨迹的跟踪。为减少上升段末端偏差对无动力滑行段与标称轨迹间误差的影响,提出了一种通过调整倾侧角改变上升器所受气动力进而控制飞行轨迹的技术路线,并设计了相应的滑模制导律。另外,兼顾固推发动机的能量管理需求,针对入轨段设计了Lambert制导策略,并参考标称控制量对其进行修正,使得上升器能够在控制能力有限的情况下完成较高精度的入轨。最后,通过典型场景火星表面起飞上升全过程数值仿真验证了所设计策略的有效性和鲁棒性。     

大型空间站航天员出舱条件及相对运动轨迹

应用航天器近距离相对运动动力学方程,在计及空间站尺寸的条件下,研究了大型空间站航天员出舱条件及相对运动轨迹。研究表明, 当航天员在空间站的上、下表面或前表面下方、后表面上方时, 如果没有约束, 将发生自由漂移,其相对运动的轨道平面内模态为中心漂移的椭圆; 如果航天员在相应的位置上有动力 （主动） 出舱, 其相对运动的轨道平面内模态可以为直线、定常椭圆和中心漂移的椭圆, 这与把空间站简化为质点时的结果有本质差别, 因此不能再将空间站视为质点。通过改变航天员的离舱点和离舱速度, 可以改变出舱相对运动轨迹,以满足一定的舱外活动要求     

空间机器人抓捕碰撞分析与轨迹规划镇定控制

针对空间机器人抓捕目标过程中产生的碰撞冲击问题,分析了抓捕瞬态碰撞对机器人系统产生的影响,提出了一种控制力矩能量消耗少、对卫星平台基座扰动小的镇定控制方法,实现了对抓捕目标后组合体系统的镇定控制。首先,利用Kane方法建立了抓捕后的目标-机械臂-卫星平台组合体动力学模型;其次,利用ADAMS软件分析了瞬态碰撞冲击对空间机器人系统的影响,为后续镇定控制策略的设计提供初始仿真参数;采用四次多项式实现了机械臂关节空间轨迹的参数化,设定了基于控制力矩能量与基座扰动的加权目标函数,利用差分进化算法(DE)求解得到满足控制力矩能量消耗小、平台基座扰动少的机械臂关节空间轨迹。最后,利用七自由度空间机器人的数值仿真,验证了所提出方法的有效性。     

Compensation of base disturbance using optimal trajectory planning of dual-manipulators in a space robot

This paper presents a trajectory planning algorithm for a space robot with dual-manipulators. Here one manipulator of the space robot captures a target, and another manipulator is free. In this case, this study uses one manipulator as the mission manipulator to capture the target, and another as the balance manipulator aiming at the compensation of the pose disturbance. For this method, a novel trajectory planning algorithm applied to the balance manipulator is presented. The trajectory planning problem is transformed into series of problems of the optimal state solution, and then the iterative algorithms for the trajectory planning are designed. In the iterative algorithms, the bias force on the spacecraft base caused by the balance manipulator is used as the compensation force. Then, to calculate the expected compensation force and torque, a pose control law for the spacecraft base is introduced. The expected compensation force and torque provide equality constraints for optimization problems, which implies that the trajectory planning algorithm compensates for not only the disturbance generated by the manipulator’s motion, but also environmental disturbances. This is because the expected compensation force and torque depend on the pose change of the spacecraft base rather than the type of the disturbance. Numerical simulation was carried out to analyze the proposed trajectory planning method. It was observed that the method greatly reduces the disturbance of Manipulator A on the spacecraft base. These results validated the effectiveness of the proposed method for the trajectory planning to make the spacecraft base disturbance up to minimum.     

Battery package design optimization for small electric aircraft

The increasing gross weight of electric Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) poses a challenge in practical applications. The range and endurance of the electric UAV are limited by the fixed mass of the battery package. In this work, a design optimization method for the battery package topology of small electric UAV is proposed to enhance the performance. To improve the accuracy of the method, the dynamic battery model and simplified electric component models are presented. These models are utilized by the trajectory optimization method, which takes the dynamic characteristic into consideration to calculate the aircraft performance. The direct optimal control method is used for solving the trajectory optimization problem, and this method is tested on a small blended-wing-body electric aircraft. The test result shows that the range and energy-consumption are mainly influenced by the parallel topology of the battery package, while the flight time in climb phase is more sensitive to the series topology. It is deduced that the range- and energy-optimal design points can be considered concurrently in design optimization. The work proves the feasibility of integrating the trajectory optimization and battery package design.     

高超声速滑翔飞行器再入轨迹快速、高精度优化

针对高超声速滑翔飞行器再入轨迹优化问题，提出一种基于稀疏差分法和网格细化技术的快速、高精度求解方法。该方法应用局部配点法将再入轨迹优化问题转化为非线性规划(NLP)问题，从两方面提高轨迹优化的效率和精度。一方面，引入一种高效的稀疏差分法计算NLP的一阶偏导数，提高NLP的求解效率；另一方面，提出一种基于新型广义二分网格的网格细化算法调整离散节点的数量和分布，使得方法能够采用较少的节点数目取得较高的优化精度，从而减小NLP的规模和计算量。应用该方法求解了高超声速滑翔再入轨迹优化问题，仿真结果表明所述方法能够快速生成一条严格满足各种约束的最优三维再入轨迹。在此基础上，研究了滑翔飞行器的再入落点区范围，进一步检验了该方法的有效性。     

Adaptive fuzzy neural network control for a space manipulator in the presence of output constraints and input nonlinearities

Space manipulator is considered as one of the most promising technologies for future space activities owing to its important role in various on-orbit serving missions. In this paper, a novel adaptive fuzzy neural network (FNN) control scheme is proposed for the trajectory tracking control of an attitude-controlled free-flying space manipulator in the presence of output constraints and input nonlinearities. The parametric uncertainties and external disturbances are also taken into the consideration. First, a model-based controller is designed by using the barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) to prevent the position tracking errors from violating the predefined output constraints. Then, an adaptive FNN controller is designed by using two FNNs to compensate for the lumped uncertainties and input nonlinearities, respectively. Rigorous theoretical analysis for the semiglobal uniform ultimate boundedness of the whole closed-loop system is provided. The proposed adaptive FNN controller can guarantee the position and velocity tracking errors converge to the small neighborhoods about zero, while ensuring the position tracking errors within the output constraints even in the presence of input nonlinearities. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, there are relatively few existing controllers can achieve such excellent control performance in the same conditions. Numerical simulations illustrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed control scheme.     

Multiple Sun–Earth Saddle Point flybys for LISA Pathfinder

LISA Pathfinder is an ESA mission due to be launched in the next two years. The gravity gradiometer onboard has the sensitivity required to test predictions by gravitational theories proposed as alternatives to Dark Matter such as TeVeS. Within the Solar System measurable effects are predicted only in the vicinity of gravitational saddle points (SP). For this reason it has been proposed to fly LPF by the Earth–Sun SP, at some 259,000 km from Earth. This could be done in an extension to the nominal mission which uses a Lissajous orbit about the Earth–Sun L1 point. The responsibility for LPF mission design lies with ESA/ESOC, who have designed the transfer trajectories, orbits about L1, and station keeping strategies. This article describes an analysis performed by Astrium to support a suggestion for a possible mission extension to a saddle point crossing. With only very limited fuel availability, reaching the saddle point is a significant challenge. In this article, we present recent advances in the work on trajectory design. It is demonstrated that reaching the SP is feasible once the LPF mission is completed. Furthermore, in a significant enhancement, it is demonstrated that trajectories including more than one SP flyby are possible, thus improving the science return for this proposed mission extension.     

Necessary conditions for the optimality of singular arcs of spacecraft trajectories subject to multiple gravitational bodies

This document analyzes the optimality of intermediate thrust arcs (singular arcs) of spacecraft trajectories subject to multiple gravitational bodies. A series of necessary conditions for optimality are formally derived, including the generalized Legendre–Clebsch condition. As the order of singular optimality turns out to be two, an explicit formula for the singular optimal control is also presented. These analytical outcomes are validated by showing that they are identical to Lawden’s classical result if the equations of motion are reduced for a central gravity field. Practical utility is demonstrated by applying these analytical derivations to a candidate optimal trajectory near the Moon subject to solar and Earth perturbation. While the candidate optimal trajectory turns out to be bang-singular-bang, the intermediate thrust arc satisfies all the necessary conditions for optimality.