Aeronautics and astronautics – Spacecraft – With special crew accommodations
Patent
1989-12-27
1991-10-22
Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
Aeronautics and astronautics
Spacecraft
With special crew accommodations
244 315, 244191, 244195, 364459, G01C 2124, G05D 106
Patent
active
050588362
ABSTRACT:
A control system for the reentry phase of a reentry type vehicle with the vehicle having aerodynamic control surfaces for controlling the attitude of the vehicle during reentry includes an estimating device, such as an extended Kalman filter, for estimating dynamic aerodynamic operational parameters of the vehicle in response to status parameters of the vehicle, a sensing device for supplying the status parameters, an autopilot device for generating a drive command signal in response to the dynamic aerodynamic operaational parameters and an actuator device, which may include an electric motor or smaller hydraulic one than prior systems, for controlling the aerodynamics control surfaces in response to the drive command signal. Computation necessary for estinmating is used to determine a more accurate drive command signal than is typically available from prior systems, thereby permitting a smaller, lighter weight actuator to be used. If the operating characteristics of the vehicle over the entire flight regime are known, then the status parameters may be used to select the appropriate operating characteristics, which have been previously stored, without need to resort to estimation.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3624367 (1971-11-01), Hamilton
patent: 4071894 (1978-01-01), Schuldt
patent: 4699333 (1987-10-01), Pinson
patent: 4783744 (1988-11-01), Yuch
patent: 4791573 (1988-12-01), Zemany et al.
Amgott Allen E.
Checkovich Paul
General Electric Company
Mojica Virna Lissi
Peters Jr. Joseph F.
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