The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 17, 1996
Filed:
May. 16, 1994
Applicant:
Inventor:
Douglas J Bender, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Assignee:
Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
B64G / ; B64G / ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
244171 ; 244164 ; 244165 ;
Abstract
A method and system for determining the general three-axis attitude measurement for a spacecraft is disclosed. The system provides a cost-effective attitude measurement system for geosynchronous momentum bias spacecraft which need a continuously updated, moderately accurate, yaw measurement in addition to the usual roll and pitch measurements. The continuous yaw measurement enables control of the spacecraft yaw axis in the presence of disturbance torques. A sun sensor generates a signal which may be used to calibrate a continuously updated yaw measurement derived from the combination of signals generated by an Earth sensor and a space-to-ground link.