低成本小型无线自动太阳敏感器设计与实现

Design and realization of low-cost micro wireless automatic sun sensor

针对微小卫星姿态确定与控制系统的需求,西北工业大学与荷兰代尔夫特理工大学共同研发了低成本小型无线自动太阳敏感器(Micro Wireless Automatic Sun Sensor,μWASS)。该敏感器采用四象限探测器作为感光部件,使用集成ZigBee通信协议的低功耗51单片机内核作为处理器,利用三结砷化镓太阳能电池片产生电能为系统供电。在能量储存方面,创造性地使用了超级电容作为储能部件。同时,在系统设计中考虑了空间环境辐射与高低温变化,增加了额外保护电路。μWASS视场角为120°×120°,在整个视场范围内精度小于0.5°(1σ),平均功耗为30 mW。与目前现有的模拟式太阳敏感器相比,μWASS的测量数据通过无线通信方式传输,不需要专门接插件以及外部模拟/数字转换电路,可以实现即插即用,降低了太阳敏感器在卫星上的安装难度,提高了系统可靠性。μWASS实现了太阳敏感器的低成本、微型化和无线化,未来可以广泛用于各种微小卫星。

In order to satisfy the requirements of micro-satellite attitude determination and control system,northwestern polytechnical university and delft university of technology have jointly developed a low-cost micro wireless automatic sun sensor(μWASS).μWASS chooses a four-quadrant detector as its sensing part,uses the low-power 51 microcontroller unit Kernel with integrated ZigBee communication protocol as its processor,and utilizes two triple-junction GaAs solar panels as its energy generating part.And a super-capacitor is creatively be used as its energy storage part.In the meantime,the space environment radiation and high and low temperature variation have been considered during the system design,and the additional protective circuit has been added.The field-of-view ofμWASS is 120°×120°,and the accuracy is better than 0.5°(1σ).The average power consumption ofμWASS is 30 mW.Compared with the existing analog sun sensors,μWASS is a plug-and-play component.Its measurement data can be transmitted through wireless communication and does not need any special connectors or external A/D conversion circuit,which could not only reduce the installation difficulty but also improve the system reliability of the satellite.μWASS has achieved the low cost,miniaturization and wireless of sun sensor,and it can be widely used in various micro-satellites in the future.