Fixed-time rendezvous control of spacecraft with a tumbling target under loss of actuator effectiveness

This paper investigates the fixed-time fault-tolerant control problem of spacecraft rendezvous and docking with a freely tumbling target in the presence of external disturbance and thruster faults. More specifically, based on the attitude of the target spacecraft, a line-of-sight coordinate frame is defined first, and the dynamical equations relative to the tumbling target are derived to describe the relative position (not six degrees of freedom). Then two fixed-time position controllers are proposed to guarantee that the closed-loop system is stable in finite time in the sense of a fixed-time concept, even in the presence of simultaneous external disturbance and thruster faults. Numerical simulations illustrate that the chaser spacecraft can successfully perform the rendezvous using the proposed controllers

State-of-the-art in Comprehensive Cascade Control Approach through Monte-Carlo Based Representation

The research relies on the comprehensive cascade control approach to be developed in the area of spacecraft, as long as Monte-Carlo based representation is taken into real consideration with respect to state-of-the-art. It is obvious that the conventional methods do not have sufficient merit to be able to deal with such a process under control, constantly, provided that a number of system parameters variations are to be used in providing real situations. It is to note that the new insights in the area of the research’s topic are valuable to outperform a class of spacecrafts performance as the realizations of the acquired results are to be addressed in both real and academic environments. In a word, there are a combination of double closed loop based upon quaternion based control approach in connection with Euler based control approach to handle the three-axis rotational angles and its rates, synchronously, in association with pulse modulation analysis and control allocation, where the dynamics and kinematics of the present system under control are analyzed. A series of experiments are carried out to consider the approach performance in which the aforementioned Monte-Carlo based representation is to be realized in verifying the investigated outcomes

Dual-Quaternion-Based Fault-Tolerant Control for Spacecraft Tracking With Finite-Time Convergence

Results are presented for a study of dual-quaternion-based fault-tolerant control for spacecraft tracking. First, a six-degrees-of-freedom dynamic model under a dual-quaternion-based description is employed to describe the relative coupled motion of a target-pursuer spacecraft tracking system. Then, a novel fault-tolerant control method is proposed to enable the pursuer to track the attitude and the position of the target even though its actuators have multiple faults. Furthermore, based on a novel time-varying sliding manifold, finite-time stability of the closed-loop system is theoretically guaranteed, and the convergence time of the system can be given explicitly. Multiple-task capability of the proposed control law is further demonstrated in the presence of disturbances and parametric uncertainties. Finally, numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed control method

Application of advanced technology to space automation

Automated operations in space provide the key to optimized mission design and data acquisition at minimum cost for the future. The results of this study strongly accentuate this statement and should provide further incentive for immediate development of specific automtion technology as defined herein. Essential automation technology requirements were identified for future programs. The study was undertaken to address the future role of automation in the space program, the potential benefits to be derived, and the technology efforts that should be directed toward obtaining these benefits

Multi-objective integrated robust H∞ control for attitude tracking of a flexible spacecraft

This paper investigates the multi-objective attitude tracking problem of a flexible spacecraft in the presence of disturbances, parameter uncertainties and imprecise collocation of sensors and actuators. An integrated robust H∞ controller, including an output feedback component and a feedforward component, is proposed, and its gains are calculated by solving Linear Matrix Inequalities. The output feedback component stabilizes the integrated control system while the feedforward component can drive the attitude motion to track the desired angles. The system robustness against disturbances, parameter uncertainties and imprecise collocation is addressed by the H∞ approach and convex optimization. Numerical simulations are finally provided to assess the performance of the proposed controller

Classifying intelligence in machines : a taxonomy of intelligent control

The quest to create machines that can solve problems as humans do leads us to intelligent control. This field encompasses control systems that can adapt to changes and learn to improve their actions—traits typically associated with human intelligence. In this work we seek to determine how intelligent these classes of control systems are by quantifying their level of adaptability and learning. First we describe the stages of development towards intelligent control and present a definition based on literature. Based on the key elements of this definition, we propose a novel taxonomy of intelligent control methods, which assesses the extent to which they handle uncertainties in three areas: the environment, the controller, and the goals. This taxonomy is applicable to a variety of robotic and other autonomous systems, which we demonstrate through several examples of intelligent control methods and their classifications. Looking at the spread of classifications based on this taxonomy can help researchers identify where control systems can be made more intelligent

Integrated Optimal and Robust Control of Spacecraft in Proximity Operations

With the rapid growth of space activities and advancement of aerospace science and technology, many autonomous space missions have been proliferating in recent decades. Control of spacecraft in proximity operations is of great importance to accomplish these missions. The research in this dissertation aims to provide a precise, efficient, optimal, and robust controller to ensure successful spacecraft proximity operations. This is a challenging control task since the problem involves highly nonlinear dynamics including translational motion, rotational motion, and flexible structure deformation and vibration. In addition, uncertainties in the system modeling parameters and disturbances make the precise control more difficult. Four control design approaches are integrated to solve this challenging problem. The first approach is to consider the spacecraft rigid body translational and rotational dynamics together with the flexible motion in one unified optimal control framework so that the overall system performance and constraints can be addressed in one optimization process. The second approach is to formulate the robust control objectives into the optimal control cost function and prove the equivalency between the robust stabilization problem and the transformed optimal control problem. The third approach is to employ the è-D technique, a novel optimal control method that is based on a perturbation solution to the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation, to solve the nonlinear optimal control problem obtained from the indirect robust control formulation. The resultant optimal control law can be obtained in closedorm, and thus facilitates the onboard implementation. The integration of these three approaches is called the integrated indirect robust control scheme. The fourth approach is to use the inverse optimal adaptive control method combined with the indirect robust control scheme to alleviate the conservativeness of the indirect robust control scheme by using online parameter estimation such that adaptive, robust, and optimal properties can all be achieved. To show the effectiveness of the proposed control approaches, six degree-offreedom spacecraft proximity operation simulation is conducted and demonstrates satisfying performance under various uncertainties and disturbances

CONTROL STRATEGY OF MULTIROTOR PLATFORM UNDER NOMINAL AND FAULT CONDITIONS USING A DUAL-LOOP CONTROL SCHEME USED FOR EARTH-BASED SPACECRAFT CONTROL TESTING

Over the last decade, autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have seen increased usage in industrial, defense, research, and academic applications. Specific attention is given to multirotor platforms due to their high maneuverability, utility, and accessibility. As such, multirotors are often utilized in a variety of operating conditions such as populated areas, hazardous environments, inclement weather, etc. In this study, the effectiveness of multirotor platforms, specifically quadrotors, to behave as Earth-based satellite test platforms is discussed. Additionally, due to concerns over system operations under such circumstances, it becomes critical that multirotors are capable of operation despite experiencing undesired conditions and collisions which make the platform susceptible to on-board hardware faults. Without countermeasures to account for such faults, specifically actuator faults, a multirotors will experience catastrophic failure. In this thesis, a control strategy for a quadrotor under nominal and fault conditions is proposed. The process of defining the quadrotor dynamic model is discussed in detail. A dual-loop SMC/PID control scheme is proposed to control the attitude and position states of the nominal system. Actuator faults on-board the quadrotor are interpreted as motor performance losses, specifically loss in rotor speeds. To control a faulty system, an additive control scheme is implemented in conjunction with the nominal scheme. The quadrotor platform is developed via analysis of the various subcomponents. In addition, various physical parameters of the quadrotor are determined experimentally. Simulated and experimental testing showed promising results, and provide encouragement for further refinement in the future

An intelligent navigation system for an unmanned surface vehicle

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2768 on 27.03.2017 by CS (TIS)A multi-disciplinary research project has been carried out at the University of Plymouth to design and develop an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) named ýpringer. The work presented herein relates to formulation of a robust, reliable, accurate and adaptable navigation system to enable opringei to undertake various environmental monitoring tasks. Synergistically, sensor mathematical modelling, fuzzy logic, Multi-Sensor Data Fusion (MSDF), Multi-Model Adaptive Estimation (MMAE), fault adaptive data acquisition and an user interface system are combined to enhance the robustness and fault tolerance of the onboard navigation system. This thesis not only provides a holistic framework but also a concourse of computational techniques in the design of a fault tolerant navigation system. One of the principle novelties of this research is the use of various fuzzy logic based MSDF algorithms to provide an adaptive heading angle under various fault situations for Springer. This algorithm adapts the process noise covariance matrix ( Q) and measurement noise covariance matrix (R) in order to address one of the disadvantages of Kalman filtering. This algorithm has been implemented in Spi-inger in real time and results demonstrate excellent robustness qualities. In addition to the fuzzy logic based MSDF, a unique MMAE algorithm has been proposed in order to provide an alternative approach to enhance the fault tolerance of the heading angles for Springer. To the author's knowledge, the work presented in this thesis suggests a novel way forward in the development of autonomous navigation system design and, therefore, it is considered that the work constitutes a contribution to knowledge in this area of study. Also, there are a number of ways in which the work presented in this thesis can be extended to many other challenging domains.DEVONPORT MANAGEMENT LTD, J&S MARINE LTD AND SOUTH WEST WATER PL