초록 ▼

In a process and apparatus for controlling the attitude of a spacecraft, drive signals for driving attitude control units of the spacecraft are generated based on control unit signals related to the three principle axes of a spacecraft oriented coordinate system, using the rule k=B.sup.I e+cu.sub.2.

In a process and apparatus for controlling the attitude of a spacecraft, drive signals for driving attitude control units of the spacecraft are generated based on control unit signals related to the three principle axes of a spacecraft oriented coordinate system, using the rule k=B.sup.I e+cu.sub.2. The drive matrix B.sup.I, a definite vector u.sub.2 and the constant c result from the application of a matrix decomposition according to the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method to a nozzle matrix B. The latter matrix contains as elements, the momentum and force vectors which can be generated by the attitude control units, and the drive matrix B.sup.I is multiplied directly with the vector e derived from the axis-related control unit signals.

대표청구항 ▼

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for controlling at least the attitude of a spacecraft relative to three principal axes of a system of coordinates fixedly assigned to the spacecraft, said apparatus comprising:a control unit generating axis-related control unit signals from axis-related measuring signals;

[ We claim:] [1.] Apparatus for controlling at least the attitude of a spacecraft relative to three principal axes of a system of coordinates fixedly assigned to the spacecraft, said apparatus comprising:a control unit generating axis-related control unit signals from axis-related measuring signals;attitude control units for generating at least positive and negative moments about the three principal axes; anda conversion unit for generating non-negative drive signals from the axis-related control unit signals, which drive signals are each assigned to the individual attitude control units; wherein,the attitude control units are driven in a pulsed manner;each of the drive signals is fed to a different modulator, one such attitude control unit being connected to an output of each of the modulators in a fixed arrangement;the conversion unit for implementing an operation generates output drive signals according to the equation EQU k=B.sup.I e+cu.sub.2 eing a drive vector containing the drive signals as components, e being a vector containing the axis-related control unit signals as the components, B.sup.I being a drive matrix, and u.sub.2 being a definite vector;both B.sup.I and u.sub.2 result from a matrix decomposition of a nozzle matrix B to be carried out according to the method of the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD); andk contains as elements the momentum and force vectors which can be generated by the attitude control units, and is finally selected such that all drive signals are not negative.