Mitigating Measurement Errors in a Low Cost Satellite Attitude Determination System

Bruce Chesley and Penina Axelrad

Abstract:	This paper describes estimation algorithms to treat quantization errors in an attitude determination system that combines digital sun sensors and gyroscopes for a small university sponsored satellite. Digital sun sensor measurements are incorporated using a “dead zone” that corresponds to the quantization bin width of the sensor output. Measurement residuals based on the edge of the quantization bin are incorporated to improve filter performance. We evaluate the performance of a bounding ellipsoid algorithm and an extended Kalman filter based on these measurements. We also demonstrate a Kalman filter that uses GPS attitude measurements along with sun sensors and gyros in an integrated attitude determination system. Simulation results are used to evaluate the filter algorithms. Implications for the design of the spacecraft attitude determination system are discussed.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 18 - 20, 1995 Disneyland Hotel Anaheim, CA
Pages:	763 - 774
Cite this article:	Chesley, Bruce, Axelrad, Penina, "Mitigating Measurement Errors in a Low Cost Satellite Attitude Determination System," Proceedings of the 1995 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, January 1995, pp. 763-774.
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