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Methods and apparatuses are provided for managing a plurality of thrusters in a platform. The method and apparatuses comprise operating the plurality of thrusters in the platform with a thruster control system. The methods and apparatuses comprise estimating a vehicle response resulting from the ope

Methods and apparatuses are provided for managing a plurality of thrusters in a platform. The method and apparatuses comprise operating the plurality of thrusters in the platform with a thruster control system. The methods and apparatuses comprise estimating a vehicle response resulting from the operation of the plurality of thrusters to form an estimated vehicle response. The methods and apparatuses also comprise comparing the estimated vehicle response to a desired vehicle response to develop objective function errors. Also, the methods and apparatuses comprise developing a number of commands configured to correct the objective function errors.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A method for managing a plurality of thrusters in a platform, the method comprising: operating a combination of thrusters from the plurality of thrusters in the platform with a thruster control system, wherein one or more thrusters from the plurality of thrusters are operable independently from r

1. A method for managing a plurality of thrusters in a platform, the method comprising: operating a combination of thrusters from the plurality of thrusters in the platform with a thruster control system, wherein one or more thrusters from the plurality of thrusters are operable independently from remaining ones of the one or more thrusters, and wherein operating comprises independently operating the combination of thrusters from other thrusters in the plurality of thrusters;estimating, by a processor control unit, a vehicle response resulting from the operation of the plurality of thrusters to form an estimated vehicle response;comparing, by the processor control unit, the estimated vehicle response to a desired vehicle response to develop objective function errors;selecting, by the processor control unit, one of an estimated influence matrix or a predicted influence matrix, wherein the estimated influence matrix is generated using vehicle state information and previous valve command outputs, and wherein the predicted influence matrix is generated from in-flight estimates of thruster characteristics of the platform;developing, by the processor control unit, a number of commands configured to correct the objective function errors based on one of the estimated influence matrix or the predicted influence matrix; andoperating the plurality of thrusters with the thruster control system using the number of commands. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the number of commands further comprises: weighting each thruster in the plurality of thrusters. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the number of commands further comprises: weighting the objective function errors. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the number of commands further comprises: determining whether a difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response is greater than a specified parameter, wherein the difference is an inconsistency in the platform;responsive to the difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response being greater than the specified parameter, selecting one of the predicted influence matrix and the estimated influence matrix which is previously valid to use in the number of commands; andresponsive to the difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response being less than the specified parameter, selecting the estimated influence matrix to use in the number of commands. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: responsive to identifying the inconsistency with the platform, notifying a mission management subsystem about the inconsistency. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein developing the number of commands further comprises: modulating the number of commands using a modulator selected from a group consisting of a pulse-width pulse-frequency modulator, a pulse-frequency modulator, and a pulse-width modulator. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: using one of an estimated influence matrix or a predicted influence matrix as a gain matrix on the objective function errors;comparing the estimated influence matrix to the predicted influence matrix to identify an inconsistency in the platform;modifying the number of commands based on the inconsistency; andweighting the objective function errors based on the inconsistency. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the inconsistency comprises at least one of a non-operating thruster, a low thruster, a high thruster, a change in mass of the platform, and a change in a distribution of mass in the platform. 9. An apparatus comprising: a thruster control system having a plurality of thrusters in a platform, wherein one or more of the thrusters of the plurality of thrusters are selectable for operation independently from remaining ones of the one or more of the thrusters;a processor unit configured to operate the one or more thrusters in the platform with the thruster control system; estimate a vehicle response resulting from the operation of the one or more thrusters to form an estimated vehicle response;compare the estimated vehicle response to a desired vehicle response to develop objective function errors;select one of an estimated influence matrix or a predicted influence matrix, wherein the estimated influence matrix is generated using vehicle state information and previous valve command outputs, and wherein the predicted influence matrix is generated from in-flight estimates of thruster characteristics of the platform; anddevelop a number of commands configured to correct the objective function errors based on one of the estimated influence matrix or the predicted influence matrix; andthe thruster control system configured to operate the plurality of thrusters using the number of commands. 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor unit developing the number of commands further comprises the processor unit being configured to weight each thruster in the plurality of thrusters. 11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor unit developing the number of commands further comprises the processor unit being configured to weight the objective function errors. 12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor unit developing the number of commands further comprises the processor unit being configured to determine whether a difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response is greater than a specified parameter; select one of a predicted influence matrix and an estimated influence matrix which is previously valid to use in the number of commands in response to the difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response being greater than the specified parameter; and select the estimated influence matrix to use in the number of commands in response to the difference between the estimated vehicle response and the vehicle response being less than the specified parameter. 13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor unit developing the number of commands further comprises the processor unit being configured to modulate the number of commands using a modulator selected from a group consisting of a pulse-width pulse-frequency modulator, a pulse-frequency modulator, and a pulse-width modulator. 14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor unit developing the number of commands further comprises the processor unit being configured to: use one of an estimated influence matrix or a predicted influence matrix as a gain matrix on the objective function errors;compare the estimated influence matrix to the predicted influence matrix to identify an inconsistency in the platform;modify the number of commands based on the inconsistency; andweight the objective function errors based on the inconsistency. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor unit is configured to notify a mission management subsystem about the inconsistency in response to identifying the inconsistency in the platform. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the inconsistency comprises at least one of a non-operating thruster, a low thruster, a high thruster, a change in mass of the platform, and a change in a distribution of mass in the platform.