Attitude Control Experiments of Cubic Rover on Low-Gravity Testbed

低重力模拟平台上立方体巡视器姿态控制实验研究

In-situ exploration of asteroid surfaces is of great scientific significance.Internally actuated rovers have been released to asteroid surfaces but without enough controllability.To investigate the attitude control characteristics of the cubic rover for asteroid surface exploration,a series of experiments are carried out using the self-designed rover and the low-gravity testbed.The experiments focus on two major themes:The minimum flywheel speed for cubic rover to produce a walking motion in different conditions,and the relationship between the rover’s rotation angle and the flywheel speed in twisting motion.The rover’s dynamical descriptions of the walking and twisting motions are first derived.The features and design of the low-gravity testbed are then summarized,including its dynamics,setup,and validation.A detailed comparison between the dynamic model and the experimental results is presented,which provides a basic reference of the cubic rover’s attitude control in low-gravity environments.

小行星表面探测具有重要科学意义,然而目前内驱动巡视器在小天体表面上的运动没有足够的可控性。为了研究立方体巡视器在地表上的姿态控制特性,利用自行设计的立方体巡视器与低重力模拟平台开展了一系列实验研究。实验集中研究了立方体巡视器在翻滚调姿时的飞轮临界转速与不同重力环境的关系以及巡视器在平面调姿时飞轮转速与调姿角度的关系。首先推导了巡视器翻滚调姿和平面调姿的动力学模型;之后介绍了低重力模拟平台的设计与搭建,包括其动力学模型、结构组成与精度验证;最后针对动力学模型与实验数据进行了对比分析,为立方体巡视器在低重力环境下的姿态控制提供了理论与数据参考。