METHOD OF SPACECRAFT SOLAR BATTERY POSITION CONTROL DURING PARTIAL FAILURES OF ASPECT SENSOR Russian patent published in 2012 - IPC B64G1/44 

FIELD: transport.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to electric power supply systems of spacecraft (SC). According to the method, SC solar battery (SB) is rotated at sustained design angular velocity by an order or more greater than angular velocity of SC circulation on orbit around the Earth. Angular position of direction to the Sun unit vector projection on normal to SB working surface rotation plane in coupled coordinates. Full circle of aspect sensor is split into equal discrete sectors each one of which has corresponding arbitrary value at sensor output. Preset angle increment divisible by discrete sector dimension is set. Preset angle is calculated as integer number of this angle increments in angular position of specified projection of normal unit vector. Thresholds of operation and release as well as initial SB angular position where the mentioned normal coincides with bisecting line of one of angular sectors are set. Initial value of design angle (as product of design angular velocity by rotation time) corresponds to angular position of this normal. At the moment when sensor readings change, design angle is assigned value equal to number of discrete sectors contained in it increased by half of sector. Threshold value of control time is set exceeding time of SB rotation by angle with maximum number of angular sectors with equal output values. During SB rotation, time of design angle correction is counted. Failure signal is produced if correction time reaches or exceeds threshold value of control time.

EFFECT: higher reliability and survivability of SB control system which is able to give correct SB orientation to the Sun in case of failures resulting from false values of SB angular positions measured by sensor.

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