Method and system for autonomous spacecraft control
US5951609A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 29, 1997 |
| Grant date | Sep 14, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 29, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB64G1/247
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An autonomous control system supports autonomous operation of the a spacecraft in carrying out mission objective commands. The control system also provides autonomous fault detection, isolation and recovery. Performance problems and anomalies are detected and accounted for in the carrying out mission objectives. A mission manager module analyzes all incoming mission objective commands to verify that sufficient system resources are available and not already dedicated to other pending mission objective commands. A command processor is included to translate acceptable mission objective commands into lower level command sequences for delivery to a flight manager controlling the underlying spacecraft systems. The mission manager reanalyzes all pending mission objective commands whenever unexpected performance or fault conditions are detected. The mission objective commands can be constructed in a hierarchical fashion, with many sequences predefined within the spacecraft. All portions of the autonomous control system, including software and associated data, can be readily replaced, supplemented or disabled at any time before, during or after launch.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.