The Aerospace Corporation

Louis K Herman

Brian T Hamada

Girard M Manke

Craig M Heatwole

Robert B Pan

Robert W Postma

Ian M McCain

A fault detection pseudo gyro emulates mechanical gyros by processing space system appendage measurement data and reaction wheel tachometer data within reference and control systems of a satellite to compute the vehicular bus angular velocity rate data by accounting for external torques, the momentum transfer between the satellite, the bus, and the appendages for providing accurate relative vehicular position and angular velocity rate data in an attitude reference and control systems now having accurate vehicular angular velocity rate data while enabling fault detection of hardware gyros and momentum sensors.

Fault detection pseudo gyro

A pseudo gyro emulates mechanical gyros by software processes by processing space system appendage measurement data and reaction wheel tachometer data within reference and control systems of a satellite using principals of conservation of momentum to compute the vehicular bus angular velocity rate data by accounting for external torque, the momentum transfer between the satellite, the bus, and the appendages for providing accurate relative vehicular position and angular velocity rate data as an integral part of attitude reference and control systems now having higher reliability, longer life times, lower power consumption, and more accurate vehicular angular velocity rate data generated within high bandwidth operations. A specific improvement is the use of a bias torque estimator for accounting for uncertainties in external torque estimations for accurate total system momentum computations.

Pseudo gyro with unmodeled disturbance torque estimation

A linear roller washer bearing in a bolt interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate and a base plate fastened together by a bolt without inducing large strains and stresses upon the bolt. The roller washer bearing functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while enabling relative bidirectional motion of the plates. The roller washer bearing is a multiple roller assembly with thin rollers arranged unidirectionally and horizontally in parallel between the top and bottom washer plates. The rollers roll back and forth to enable relative back and forth alternating unidirectional motion of the component and base plates while the full strength of the bolt remains available to the support the component plate without creating high friction shear forces.

Roller washer bearing and method

A linear flexure washer bearing in a bolt interface assembly allows relative differential thermal expansion and contraction motion between a component plate and a base plate fastened together by a bolt without inducing large strains and stresses upon the bolt. The flexure washer bearing functions as a thin spacer between the component and base plates enabling high preload tightening of the bolted assembly while enabling relative bidirectional motion of the plates. The flexure washer is a multiple blade flexure assembly with thin flexure blades arranged unidirectionally between the top and bottom flexure plates. The elastic flexures bend to enable relative alternating unidirectional motion while the full strength of the bolt remains available to the support the component plate without creating high friction shear forces.

Flexure washer bearing and method

A pseudo gyro emulates mechanical gyros by software processes by processing space system appendage measurement data and reaction wheel tachometer data within reference and control systems of a satellite using principals of conservation of momentum to compute the vehicular bus angular velocity rate data by accounting for the momentum transfer between the satellite, the bus, and the appendages for providing accurate relative vehicular position and angular velocity rate data as an integral part of attitude reference and control systems now having higher reliability, longer life times, lower power consumption, and more accurate vehicular angular velocity rate data generated within high bandwidth operations.

Growing community of inventors

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States of America

Louis K Herman