An integrated global micro-propulsion system and satellite

Abstract

The present invention relates to an integrated global micro-propulsion system and a micro-satellite, which are used to provide three-axis attitude control for the micro-satellite. The system includes: a thruster module and a propellant supply module; the thruster module is arranged on the surface of the satellite, and is integrated with three thrusters of cold air, electric heating type and microwave ion; the propellant supply module includes a common gas source and a decompression system, and the common gas source stores the gas propellant working medium required for the thruster to work, and is connected to each thruster module through a gas supply pipeline; the decompression system is arranged on the gas supply pipeline, and is used to regulate the gas pressure and flow rate of the working medium supply. Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve a large thrust range and high precision, overcome the requirements that a large thrust range and high precision are difficult to meet at the same time, improve the anti-disturbance capability of the satellite, meet the requirements of satellite three-axis attitude control and degree of freedom, and can realize the drag-free control of the satellite system, and is applied to major tasks such as gravitational wave detection and sky telescope.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of space thrusters, and in particular to an integrated global micro-propulsion system and a satellite. Background Art

[0002] For example, Chinese patent application CN201710138348.0 discloses a cold gas and ion composite propulsion system. Existing technical solutions achieve rapid maneuvering and long-distance acceleration of spacecraft through cold gas propulsion and ion propulsion, respectively. However, this solution only uses cold gas propulsion and ion propulsion, resulting in a small thrust adjustment range and the inability to continuously and precisely control the thrust. Furthermore, multi-mode propulsion systems require multiple working propellants with different thrust modes, and the required working propellant supply pressure and flow rate range generally result in a shorter lifespan for the propulsion system. At the same time, the specific location of the propulsion system on the satellite platform needs to be designed to maximize the overall energy efficiency of the propulsion system for the satellite platform. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned prior art and provide an integrated global micro-propulsion system and satellite.

[0004] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0005] As a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated global micro-propulsion system for providing three-axis attitude control for a satellite, the system comprising: a thruster module and a propellant supply module;

[0006] The thruster module is arranged on the surface of the satellite and integrates three thrusters: cold air, electric heating and microwave ion;

[0007] The propellant supply module includes a common gas source and a pressure reduction system. The common gas source stores the gaseous propellant working fluid required for the thruster to operate and is connected to each thruster module through gas supply pipelines. The pressure reduction system is installed on the gas supply pipelines and is used to regulate the gas pressure and flow rate of the working fluid.

[0008] As a second aspect of the present invention, a satellite is provided, the satellite being equipped with the integrated global micro-propulsion system described above.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0010] 1) This invention integrates cold gas, electrothermal propulsion technology and microwave ion propulsion technology into an ultra-precision micro-propulsion system, achieving a thrust range of 0.5 to 1000 μN. This solves the problems of small thrust range and limited precision of existing propulsion systems, improves the satellite's anti-disturbance capability, and structurally integrates the three types of thrusters into a single thruster module, which is arranged on the six surfaces of the satellite. Each thruster module is equipped with an air supply chamber and an air supply pipeline, and functionally meets the requirements of the satellite's three-axis attitude control and degrees of freedom.

[0011] 2) This invention establishes a mathematical model for the working fluid and service life of three different thrusters in a single thruster module, calculates the loss of each thruster during stable operation, and optimizes the life of the thruster module and the service time of each thruster. Under the premise of ensuring that the thrust meets the requirements, the overall life of the system and the working fluid carrying capacity are optimized, thus solving the problem of short life of the propulsion system. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an integrated global micro-propulsion system according to the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a satellite including a micro-propulsion system in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] The following are the labels in the diagram: 1. Working fluid bottle, 2. First-stage pressure reducer, 3. Second-stage pressure reducer, 4. Gas supply line, 5. Thrust module, 6. Microflow controller, 7. Microwave and heating power supply module, 8. Accelerator grid and neutralizer power supply module, 9. Input power processing module, 10. Digital controller module, 11. Thrust integration. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. These embodiments are based on the technical solution of the present invention and provide detailed implementation methods and specific operating procedures. However, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0016] Example 1

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the integrated global micro-propulsion system provided by this invention uses a shared gas source and regulates the working propellant supply pressure and flow rate through a three-stage pressure reduction system to meet the different supply requirements of each thrust mode. The gas supply section includes: a working propellant cylinder 1, used to store high-pressure argon gas as the propellant required for thruster operation; a first-stage pressure reducer 2, used to perform initial pressure reduction on the argon gas output from the working propellant cylinder; a second-stage pressure reducer 3, used to perform secondary pressure reduction on the argon gas after the initial pressure reduction, further reducing its pressure; and a gas supply pipeline 4, used to deliver argon gas to each thruster module 5.

[0018] Thruster module 5 integrates the three types of thrusters—cooled gas, electrothermal, and microwave ion—with other modules into a single thruster module 5, enabling continuous and coordinated control of the three types of thrusters. The thruster modules 5 are arranged on the six surfaces of the satellite to meet the requirements of the satellite's three-axis attitude control and degrees of freedom.

[0019] Among them, the thruster module 5 has a thruster integration 11, which is used to realize three propulsion methods: cold gas, electrothermal propulsion and microwave ion propulsion. The nozzle is fabricated based on MEMS technology and is connected to the thruster supply system. The cold gas and electrothermal sub-thrusters use a shared nozzle to generate reverse thrust, while the microwave plasma thruster uses a separate nozzle.

[0020] The thruster module 5 specifically includes: a micro-flow controller 6, which precisely controls the flow rate of the microwave ion thruster according to thrust requirements; a microwave and heating power supply module 7, which provides power input for the microwave ion thruster and the heated thruster; an acceleration grid and neutralizer power supply module 8, which provides power input for the acceleration grid and neutralizer; an input power processing module 9, which converts the spacecraft's primary bus voltage into various voltages and currents required for thruster startup and operation; and a digital controller module 10, which coordinates and controls the various parts of the system.

[0021] Research was conducted on the gas flow patterns and control strategies in the gas supply chamber and micro-pipeline to ensure a stable gas supply during normal operation of the three types of thrusters. Argon was used as a common gas source, and the supply pressure and flow rate of the thrusters were regulated through a three-stage pressure reduction system to meet the working fluid supply pressure and flow rate range required for different thrust modes, thus solving the problem that a multi-mode propulsion system needs to be equipped with multiple working fluids.

[0022] The thrust modes include three types: cold air, electrothermal, and microwave ionization. Based on thrust judgment and fuzzy PID micro-flow collaborative control, the FPGA microcontroller monitors pressure sensor data in real time and provides feedback to the three-stage pressure reduction system, thereby achieving coordinated control of the supply pressure and flow rate for different thrust modes.

[0023] Mathematical models were established for the working propellants and service life of three different thrusters within a single thruster module. The losses during stable operation of each thruster were calculated, and the lifespan of the thruster module and the service time of each thruster were optimized. Factors affecting thruster lifespan, including propellant storage and consumption, thruster nozzle material wear, and the service time of each thruster, were measured using sensors. The collected data were used to train a neural network model, which was then used to predict lifespan. Based on the results, parameters were optimized to ensure optimal overall system lifespan and working propellant carrying capacity while meeting thrust requirements, thus addressing the problem of short propulsion system lifespan.

[0024] The finite element method is used to optimize the topology of the thruster and propulsion module. Based on the NS-DSMC cross-basin and PIC full-particle multiphysics simulation, the performance influencing factors of the micro-propulsion system are analyzed, the topological parameters of each thruster within the thrust range are determined, and the micro-propulsion system is optimized to improve system reliability and lifespan.

[0025] Finally, the system was subjected to typical mechanical and thermal cycle satellite environment simulation tests and sub-micronewton thrust measurements to verify the function and performance of the integrated continuously adjustable propulsion system.

[0026] The micro propulsion system proposed in this invention can achieve a large thrust range (0.5 to 1000 μN) and high precision (thrust resolution < 0.1 μN, thrust noise < 0.1 μN). It solves the problem of limited thrust range in existing propulsion systems, while overcoming the difficulty of simultaneously meeting the requirements of large thrust range and high precision. It enhances the satellite's anti-disturbance capability, meets the requirements of satellite three-axis attitude control and degrees of freedom, and enables drag-free control of the satellite system. It can be applied to major missions such as gravitational wave detection and space telescopes.

[0027] Example 2

[0028] As another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 As shown, a microsatellite (<50kg) equipped with the integrated global micro-propulsion system described in the above embodiment is also provided.

[0029] The above describes in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that those skilled in the art can make numerous modifications and variations based on the concepts of the present invention without inventive effort. Therefore, any technical solutions that can be derived by those skilled in the art through logical analysis, reasoning, or limited experimentation based on the concepts of the present invention and the prior art should be within the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An integrated global micro-propulsion system for providing three-axis attitude control for a satellite, characterized in that: The system comprises: a thruster module (5) and a propellant supply module; The thruster module (5) is arranged on the surface of the satellite and integrates three thrusters: cold air, electric heating and microwave ion thrusters, specifically including: A micro flow controller (6) is used to precisely control the flow of the microwave ion thruster according to thrust requirements; A microwave and heating power submodule (7), used for providing power input for the microwave ion thruster and the heating thruster; An acceleration grid and neutralizer power supply submodule (8), used for providing power input for the acceleration grid and neutralizer of the microwave ion thruster; The thruster integration (11) includes cold air, electrothermal propulsion and microwave ion thrusters, the nozzle of the thruster integration (11) is prepared based on MEMS technology and docked with the thruster supply module; The cold air and electrothermal sub-thrusters use a common nozzle to generate reverse thrust, and the microwave ion thrusters use a separate nozzle; The propellant supply module comprises a common gas source and a decompression system. The common gas source stores gas propellant working fluid required for thruster operation and is connected to each thruster module (5) via a gas supply pipeline (4). The decompression system is arranged on the gas supply pipeline (4) and is used to regulate the working fluid supply gas pressure and flow rate.

2. The integrated global micro-propulsion system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thruster module (5) further comprises: An input power processing submodule (9) is used to convert the primary bus voltage of the spacecraft into the voltage and current required by the thruster; The digital controller submodule (10) is used to coordinate and control the submodules of the thruster module (5).

3. An integrated global micro-propulsion system according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: One or more thruster modules (5) are arranged on each of the six surfaces of the satellite, and each thruster module (5) is respectively equipped with an air supply chamber and an air supply pipeline (4).

4. The integrated global micro-propulsion system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The propellant working fluid is high-pressure argon gas, and the common gas source comprises a working fluid bottle (1), wherein the working fluid bottle (1) stores high-pressure argon gas.

5. The integrated global micro-propulsion system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The decompression system is a three-stage decompression system, comprising a first-stage decompressor (2) located on the side of the working fluid bottle (1), used for performing an initial decompression on the gas working fluid output from the working fluid bottle (1); and a second-stage decompressor (3) located on the side of each thruster module (5), used for performing a secondary decompression on the gas working fluid that has undergone the initial decompression.

6. The integrated global micro-propulsion system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system uses finite element analysis to perform topological optimization on the structure of thrusters and propulsion modules, analyzes the factors affecting the performance of the micro-propulsion system based on NS-DSMC cross-domain and PIC full-particle multi-physics simulation, and determines the topological structure parameters of each thruster within the thrust range.

7. The integrated global micro-propulsion system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parameters of the thruster module (5) of the system and the use time of each thruster are specifically set as follows: Establishing a mathematical model for the working fluid and service life of three different thrusters in the thruster module (5) and calculating the loss of each thruster in stable operation; Sensors measure factors that affect thruster life, including propellant storage and consumption, thruster nozzle material wear, and the age of each thruster; The constructed neural network model is trained using the relevant data of calculation and measurement, and the life is predicted by the trained model. The parameters of the thruster module (5) and the service life of each thruster are optimized based on the results.

8. A satellite, characterized in that: The satellite is provided with an integrated global micro-propulsion system as described in any one of claims 1-7.

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