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US 7,608,951 B2Granted
Fully redundant spacecraft power and attitude control system
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsCalvin C. Potter, David Corcino, Paul T. Wingett, Casey Hanlon
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An energy storage flywheel system for a spacecraft is implemented with a fully redundant rotating group and gimbal actuator. In particular, the gimbal actuator, motor/generator, primary bearings, and secondary bearing actuator are each implemented with a pair of redundant coils or motors.
Claims20
An energy storage flywheel system, comprising:
- a shaft;
- a flywheel assembly mounted on the shaft;
- a plurality of magnetic bearing assemblies, each magnetic bearing assembly including a primary actuator coil and a secondary actuator coil, each actuator coil adapted to be selectively energized and deenergized, and configured, when energized, to rotationally mount the flywheel assembly in a non-contact manner;
- a plurality of secondary bearing assemblies, each secondary bearing assembly configured to selectively rotationally support the shaft;
- a secondary bearing actuator assembly coupled to one or more of the secondary bearing assemblies, the secondary bearing actuator assembly including a primary drive coil and a secondary drive coil, each secondary bearing actuator assembly drive coil adapted to selectively receive actuator control signals and operable, in response thereto, to cause the secondary bearing actuator assembly to move the one or more secondary bearing assemblies to one of (i) an engage position, in which each secondary bearing assembly rotationally supports the shaft, and (ii) a disengage position, in which each secondary bearing assembly does not rotationally supports the shaft;
- and
- a motor/generator coupled the energy storage flywheel and configured to operate in either a motor mode or a generate mode, the motor/generator including a rotor and a stator, the stator including a primary stator coil and a secondary stator coil.
4 more elements
An energy storage flywheel system, comprising:
- a gimbal frame;
- a flywheel housing assembly g rotationally mounted on the gimbal frame;
- a shaft rotationally mounted on the housing assembly;
- a flywheel assembly mounted on the shaft;
- a plurality of magnetic bearing assemblies, each magnetic bearing assembly including a primary actuator coil and a secondary actuator coil, each actuator coil adapted to be selectively energized and deenergized, and configured, when energized, to rotationally mount the flywheel assembly in a non-contact manner;
- a plurality of secondary bearing assemblies, each secondary bearing assembly configured to selectively rotationally support the shaft;
- a secondary bearing actuator assembly coupled to one or more of the secondary bearing assemblies, the secondary bearing actuator assembly including a primary drive coil and a secondary drive coil, each secondary bearing actuator assembly drive coil adapted to selectively receive actuator control signals and operable, in response thereto, to cause the secondary bearing actuator assembly to move the one or more secondary bearing assemblies to one of (i) an engage position, in which each secondary bearing assembly rotationally supports the shaft, and (ii) a disengage position, in which each secondary bearing assembly does not rotationally supports the shaft;
- a motor/generator coupled the energy storage flywheel and configured to operate in either a motor mode or a generate mode, the motor/generator including a rotor and a stator, the stator including a primary stator coil and a secondary stator coil;
- and
- a gimbal actuator coupled between the gimbal frame and flywheel housing assembly, the gimbal actuator including at least a primary drive coil and a secondary drive coil, each gimbal actuator drive coil adapted to selectively receive gimbal control signals and operable, in response thereto, to cause the gimbal actuator to move the flywheel housing assembly relative to the gimbal frame.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.