Honeywell International Inc.

Honeywell G.m.b.h.

Gunter Stein

Michael Ray Elgersma

Daniel P Johnson

Mason A Peck

Blaise Grayson Morton

Brian H Hamilton

Alan Bruce Touchberry

Dennis L Kurschner

Bruce A Seiber

Brian K Underhill

Dennice F Gayme

Sujit Gaikwad

Tom A Gay

Sachi Dash

Brian J Hamilton

Kosta S Tsakalis

Jeffrey M Burrows

Gary L Hartman

A control system of a spacecraft for controlling two or more sets of collinear control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) comprises an attitude control system. The attitude control system is configured to receive a command to adjust an orientation of the spacecraft, determine an offset for a momentum disk for each of the two or more sets of CMGs that maximizes torque, determine a momentum needed from the two or more sets of CMGs to adjust the orientation of the spacecraft, and calculate a total torque needed by taking the derivative of the momentum. The control system further comprises a momentum actuator control processor coupled to the attitude control system, the momentum actuator control processor configured to calculate a required gimbal movement for each of the CMGs in each of the two or more sets of collinear CMGs from total torque.

Method and system for controlling sets of collinear control moment gyroscopes with offset determination without attitude trajectory of spacecraft

A method for avoiding singularities in the movement of CMGs in an array of CMGs in a spacecraft includes a first step where a maneuver command to rotate a spacecraft orientation is received. Then, the torque needed to rotate the spacecraft's orientation is determined. Then, the torque is integrated to determine a momentum path. The momentum path is decomposed into a sequence of straight line segments. For each line segment, a unit vector along the straight line segments is determined. Then, it is determined if there is a continuous path connecting a start point and an end point of the line segment in a plane perpendicular to the unit vector. For each point along the path in the plane perpendicular to the unit vector, a set of gimbal angles is determined.

Method and system for determining a singularity free momentum path

A method and apparatus for automatically adjusting the gains of a feedback controller while the process continues to run and the controller continues to operate and control the process is disclosed. A desired closed-loop control bandwidth and a target loop transfer function are specified by the operator, and the tuning is accomplished automatically with minimal operator intervention and without the need for developing a model of the process. The automatic tuner subjects the process to one or more disturbance and the operation of both the process and the controller are monitored.

Auto-tuning controller using loop-shaping

A getter is a porous sintered metallic alloy used to absorb non-inert gases. The getter is placed in a getter well of a ring laser gyroscope system or other gas discharge system. The getter well is any enclosure in which a getter resides. The getter absorbs oxygen, which may be needed by some gyroscope components to operate. By restricting the gas flow into the getter well or by placing a diffusion barrier on the getter material, the getter may absorb non-inert gas at a slower rate.

Restricted getter

A weapon deliver/target interceptor (DISK) comprising a spinning right circular cylinder maneuvered by thrusters located about the periphery of the cylinder's circumference. The cylinder is guided by means of a forward looking sensor mounted on the front face of the cylinder and a guidance system which senses the rotational acceleration and precessional acceleration.

Discrete impulse spinning-body hard-kill (disk)

An adaptive riser angle position reference system and method for determining the horizontal position of a marine vessel relative to an underwater wellhead from angular deviations from vertical of a riser between the vessel and the wellhead are disclosed. The system comprises sensors for determining deviation from vertical of the riser at positions proximate the wellhead and the vessel and a compensation filter for adaptively filtering signals indicative of the lower and upper riser angles in accordance with filter coefficients which are determined by riser parameters. The filter coefficients are established by riser parameter identification means which effectively compares riser response, as indicated by the lower and upper riser angles, with the responses of a plurality of riser models, and selects filter coefficients corresponding to the most accurate model.

Adaptive riser angle position reference system

Growing community of inventors

Saint Paul, MN, United States of America

Gunter Stein