MEMS based Sun sensor

Author

Liebe, Carl Christian ; Mobasser, Sohrab

Author_Institution

Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Technol., Pasadena, CA, USA

Volume

3

fYear

2001

fDate

2001

Abstract

Sun sensors have been widely used as a part of spacecraft attitude determination subsystems to provide a measurement of the Sun vector in spacecraft coordinates. An experimental MEMS based Sun sensor is presented. This prototype sun sensor is comprised of a silicon wafer mask with several hundred small apertures placed on top of a CCD focal plane array at a distance of 750 μm. An image of the apertures is formed on the focal plane when the sun illuminates this setup. Sun angles can be derived by analyzing the image. The experimental data presented indicates that this sun sensor can achieve accuracies on the order of a few arcminutes or better. It is projected that this type of sun sensor, utilizing an active pixel sensor focal plane array, will be the size of three dimes stacked on top of each other. It will have a mass of less than 30 g and consume less than 20 mW. This will make this type of sun sensor ideal for micro/nano spacecraft and small rovers

Keywords

CCD image sensors; artificial satellites; attitude control; attitude measurement; focal planes; microsensors; planetary rovers; pointing systems; space vehicle electronics; 30 g; CCD focal plane array; MEMS based Sun sensor; Sun angles; Sun vector measurement; active pixel sensor; calibration; microspacecraft; nanospacecraft; pointing direction; silicon wafer mask; small apertures; small rovers; spacecraft attitude determination subsystem; spacecraft coordinates; Apertures; Charge coupled devices; Coordinate measuring machines; Micromechanical devices; Position measurement; Prototypes; Sensor arrays; Silicon; Space vehicles; Sun;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace Conference, 2001, IEEE Proceedings.

Conference_Location

Big Sky, MT

Print_ISBN

0-7803-6599-2

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/AERO.2001.931388

Filename

931388