Sequential control of electromagnets for cubesat docking attitude alignment
AssigneeArizona Board of Regents on Behalf of the University of Arizona
InventorsJekan Thangavelautham, Virupakshan Vilvanathan, Athip Thirupathi Raj, Leonard Vance, Eniko Enikov
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides a system for autonomously docking a spacecraft, the system comprising: one or more electromagnets; one or more sensors; and a controller. The controller configured to: identify a target; cause movement of the spacecraft closer to the target; determine a change in an orientation of the one or more electromagnets and the mating adapter on the target; and adjust a current in the one or more electromagnets to produce a torque, wherein the torque causes the spacecraft to align with the target.
Claims20
A system for autonomously docking a spacecraft, the system comprising:
- one or more electromagnets;
- one or more sensors;
- an inflatable device;
- one or more thrusters;
- and
- a controller, the controller configured to:
- identify a target;
- cause movement of the spacecraft closer to the target;
- responsive to determining that the spacecraft is sufficiently close to the target, deploy the inflatable device;
- perform attitude adjustment and close proximity operations using the one or more electromagnets;
- and
- join the spacecraft to the target;
- a plurality of spacecraft indicator lights;
- and
- one or more photodetectors;
- wherein identify the target further comprises:
- blinking the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights on the spacecraft;
- and
- responsive to detecting the blinking of a plurality of target indicator lights by the one or more photodetectors, increase a rate that the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights are blinking to signal that the target is detected.
(canceled)
(canceled)
A system for autonomously docking a spacecraft, the system comprising:
- one or more electromagnets;
- one or more sensors;
- and
- a controller, the controller configured to:
- identify a target;
- cause movement of the spacecraft closer to the target;
- determine that the spacecraft is sufficiently close to the target,
- perform attitude adjustment and close proximity operations using the one or more electromagnets;
- and
- join the spacecraft to the target;
- a plurality of spacecraft indicator lights;
- and
- one or more photodetectors;
- wherein identify the target further comprises:
- blinking the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights on the spacecraft;
- and
- responsive to detecting the blinking of a plurality of target indicator lights by the one or more photodetectors, increase a rate that the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights are blinking to signal that the target is detected.
(canceled)
(canceled)
A system for autonomously docking a spacecraft, the system comprising:
- one or more electromagnets;
- one or more sensors;
- and
- a controller, the controller configured to:
- identify a target;
- cause movement of the spacecraft closer to the target;
- determine a change in an orientation of the one or more electromagnets and the mating adapter on the target;
- and
- adjust a current in the one or more electromagnets to produce a torque, wherein the torque causes the spacecraft to align with the target;
- wherein identify the target further comprises:
- blinking a plurality of spacecraft indicator lights on the spacecraft;
- and
- responsive to detecting the blinking of a plurality of target indicator lights by one or more photodetectors, increase a rate that the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights are blinking to signal that the target is detected;
- and
- wherein move the spacecraft closer to the target comprises:
- responsive to the rate that the plurality of target indicator lights are blinking, move the spacecraft closer to the target;
- and
- responsive to the rate that the plurality of target indicator lights are blinking reaching a predetermined rate, turn off the plurality of spacecraft indicator lights on the spacecraft.
(canceled)
(canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.