Attitude profile control of a low-thrust propulsion extraterrestrial vehicle
AssigneeBlue Origin Manufacturing, LLC
InventorsIan Lee Elliott, Christopher John Sullivan, JR., Daniel John Grebow, Martin Thomas Ozimek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle capable of computing an optimal attitude path that provides increased solar power generation through snap-roll events during orbital transfer maneuvers. A vehicle may include a memory and processor, including instructions, when executed can perform the steps of generate an attitude profile of the vehicle during an orbital transfer; identify, from the attitude profile, a snap-roll event; and generate instructions to adjust an angular velocity of the vehicle during a time period corresponding to the snap-roll event to satisfy a target angular velocity.
Claims20
A vehicle capable of operating in space, the vehicle comprising:
- a memory that stores computer-executable instructions;
- and
- a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- generate an attitude profile of the vehicle during an orbital transfer, wherein the attitude profile identifies a direction for a thrust vector and a solar vector, wherein the thrust vector is associated with a direction of acceleration of the vehicle, wherein the solar vector is associated with a positioning of the vehicle to allow for a solar panel of the vehicle to receive sunlight;
- identify, from the attitude profile, a snap-roll event, wherein the snap-roll event is a violation event in which movement of the vehicle violates a body-frame angular rate constraint, wherein the snap-roll event is identified based on the solar vector and the thrust vector being in substantial alignment;
- and
- generate instructions to adjust an angular velocity of the vehicle during a time period corresponding to the snap-roll event to satisfy a target angular velocity, wherein adjustment of the angular velocity of the vehicle to satisfy the target angular velocity causes the vehicle to, during at least a portion of the time period, maintain the thrust vector along the attitude profile, off-point the solar vector from the attitude profile, and avoid the snap-roll event.
A method comprising:
- obtaining a direction for a thrust vector and a solar vector of an extraterrestrial vehicle, wherein the thrust vector is associated with a direction of acceleration of the extraterrestrial vehicle, wherein the solar vector is associated with a positioning of the extraterrestrial vehicle to allow for a solar panel of the extraterrestrial vehicle to receive sunlight;
- identifying a position along a trajectory for which the solar vector and the thrust vector are in substantial alignment;
- and
- in response to identifying the position, generating instructions to adjust an angular velocity of the extraterrestrial vehicle at the position to satisfy a target angular velocity, wherein adjustment of the angular velocity of the extraterrestrial vehicle to satisfy the target angular velocity causes the extraterrestrial vehicle to, at the position, maintain the thrust vector and off-point the solar vector.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.