Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Aeronautical vehicle
Patent
1998-05-29
2000-08-22
Chin, Gary
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Aeronautical vehicle
701222, 701226, 244164, G06F16500
Patent
active
061085944
ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for autonomous acquisition of attitude in a stellar inertial spacecraft attitude system is disclosed. The present invention uses star trackers, an on-board star catalog, spacecraft steering and inertial sensors to determine spacecraft attitude. The present invention utilizes pattern match and pattern rejection methods and uses multiple stellar snap-shots in conjunction with spacecraft steering and spacecraft inertial measurements to acquire spacecraft attitude. Spacecraft inertial measurements are used to connect multiple stellar snap-shots to provide adequate star information that can be used to acquire spacecraft attitude. In an attitude determination system using star trackers, the star trackers may have a narrow field-of-view or few stars may be available for viewing. The present invention uses pattern matching and pattern rejection on different sets of stars, thereby allowing attitude acquisition when the number of stars in view is small.
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Didinsky Garry
Hein Douglas
Li Rongsheng
Nayak Arunkumar
Wu Yeong-Wei
Chin Gary
Gudmestad T.
Hughes Electronics Corporation
Sales M. W.
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