Method and device for regulating a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring
By acquiring reference current data of the capillary discharge thruster on the ground, monitoring on-orbit current characteristics in real time and identifying faults, a closed-loop monitoring and regulation system was constructed, which solved the problem of frequent on-orbit faults of the capillary discharge thruster and achieved long-term reliable operation of the thruster.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BEIHANG UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-03
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-28
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies cannot achieve long-term, quantitative, and real-time on-orbit monitoring of capillary discharge thrusters, leading to frequent on-orbit failures in microsatellite propulsion systems and affecting mission execution.
By acquiring the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster on the ground, extracting characteristic parameters, and monitoring the current characteristics in real time on orbit, the fault type is compared and judged, and corresponding adjustment operations are performed to construct a closed-loop monitoring and adjustment system.
It enables continuous monitoring of thruster status and autonomous fault repair, reducing system complexity and cost, and is suitable for space-constrained platforms such as micro and nano satellites.
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Figure CN121613239B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of aerospace electric propulsion technology, and more specifically, to a method and apparatus for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring. Background Technology
[0002] In recent years, the development of microsatellites and nanosatellites has placed demands on propulsion systems for high reliability, low power consumption, and high specific impulse. Capillary discharge thrusters, as a novel type of electric propulsion device, offer significant advantages in the microsatellite field due to their simple structure and high efficiency at low power. However, because microsatellites have limited space, their propulsion systems typically lack redundancy. During long-term on-orbit operation, capillary discharge thrusters may malfunction due to factors such as localized carbon buildup and changes in propellant profile, leading to decreased thrust, abnormal discharge, or even failure, severely impacting satellite mission execution.
[0003] Currently, monitoring the operational status of capillary discharge thrusters mainly relies on manual observation during ground tests or additional thrust measurement and optical monitoring equipment. These methods cannot achieve long-term, quantitative, and real-time on-orbit monitoring. Existing on-orbit monitoring schemes that employ thrust test benches, optical cameras, or spectrometers are complex, costly, and difficult to integrate, making them unsuitable for widespread application on microsatellites and nanosatellites. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a method and apparatus for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, so as to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.
[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, comprising:
[0006] Under normal operating conditions on the ground, the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster is acquired, and at least one reference feature parameter is extracted based on the reference discharge current data.
[0007] During the on-orbit operation of the capillary discharge thruster, its discharge current data is acquired in real time, and the corresponding on-orbit characteristic parameters are extracted.
[0008] The on-orbit characteristic parameters are compared with the reference characteristic parameters, and the capillary discharge thruster is determined to have a fault and the type of fault based on the comparison result.
[0009] If a fault is detected, an adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type is performed.
[0010] Secondly, the present invention provides an adjustment device for a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, comprising:
[0011] The data acquisition module is used to acquire the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster under normal ground operating conditions, and extract at least one reference feature parameter based on the reference discharge current data.
[0012] The feature extraction module is used to acquire the discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster in real time during its on-orbit operation and extract the corresponding on-orbit feature parameters.
[0013] The fault diagnosis module is used to compare the on-orbit characteristic parameters with the reference characteristic parameters, and determine whether the capillary discharge thruster has malfunctioned and the type of malfunction based on the comparison result.
[0014] The adjustment control module is used to perform an adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type if a fault is detected.
[0015] This application embodiment can determine the thruster status solely through current signals, eliminating the need for expensive additional equipment such as thrust sensors and optical cameras, significantly reducing system complexity and on-orbit application costs. Through cyclic monitoring and intelligent adjustment mechanisms, continuous monitoring of the thruster status and autonomous fault repair can be achieved, making it suitable for long-term on-orbit missions and improving system reliability. Accurate identification of multiple fault types is achieved based on current characteristic parameters, and corresponding electrical parameter adjustments are implemented for different fault types without requiring mechanical structural modifications, making it suitable for on-orbit implementation. Thresholds and adjustment strategies can be flexibly set according to specific thruster models and mission requirements, demonstrating strong adaptability and good engineering applicability. The monitoring device can be integrated into the thruster power system, eliminating the need for complex external interfaces, making it suitable for use on space-constrained platforms such as microsatellites and nanosatellites. Attached Figure Description
[0016] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of this application and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0017] Figure 1 A schematic flowchart of a method for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0018] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating typical data collection provided in an embodiment of this application;
[0019] Figure 3 A schematic flowchart of another adjustment method for a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring provided in this application embodiment;
[0020] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the adjustment device structure of a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, provided for an embodiment of this application;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of an electronic device structure provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0022] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a method for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the method may include the following steps:
[0024] S110: Under normal ground operating conditions, acquire the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster, and extract at least one reference characteristic parameter based on the reference discharge current data.
[0025] The discharge current data can be obtained using a current sensor integrated into the power supply of the capillary discharge thruster. This current sensor can be a Rogowski coil.
[0026] In some embodiments, the reference characteristic parameters may include one or more of peak current, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time.
[0027] The ignition delay time can be defined as the time difference between the start of the discharge current and the start of the ignition signal. The peak current can be calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve. The equivalent resistance can be calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve, as well as the capacitance value of the energy stored in the capillary discharge thruster.
[0028] For example, measuring the normal discharge current data of a capillary discharge thruster in its initial state on the ground: The capillary discharge thruster operates within a vacuum simulation device on the ground. The discharge current of the thruster is measured using a Rogowski coil, and this current is recorded using an oscilloscope. This monitors the normal discharge current state of the capillary discharge thruster before long-term operation. Simultaneously, the ignition signal of the power processing unit is monitored using an oscilloscope, and both are recorded to evaluate the ignition delay time of the capillary discharge thruster. Typical data acquired include... Figure 2 As shown, the display shows the discharge current data, and the dashed line represents the ignition signal data. The discharge current curve exhibits a sinusoidal decay. The first local maximum and the first local minimum of the curve are named... , Set the time span of the first half-cycle as The baseline characteristic parameters of the capillary discharge thruster during normal operation were calculated based on the discharge current curve. , , .in , The calculation method is shown in the following formula:
[0029] Peak current Calculated based on the following formula: .
[0030] Equivalent resistance Calculated based on the following formula: Where C is the capacitance value of the energy stored in the capillary discharge thruster, and is a known quantity of the capillary discharge thruster. The ignition delay time is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, this is the time difference between the start of the discharge current and the start of the ignition signal.
[0031] S120 acquires the discharge current data in real time during the on-orbit operation of the capillary discharge thruster and extracts the corresponding on-orbit characteristic parameters.
[0032] The on-orbit characteristic parameters can correspond to the reference parameters, which may include one or more of the peak current, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time.
[0033] During the on-orbit ignition of the capillary discharge thruster, the discharge current of the thruster can be measured by the Rogowski coil integrated in the power supply, and the on-orbit characteristic parameters of the thruster can be calculated. , , These characteristic parameters are used to determine whether the thruster has a fault and what kind of fault it has.
[0034] During on-orbit ignition, the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve are respectively named... , Set the time span of the first half-cycle as Based on the discharge current curve, the on-orbit discharge characteristic parameters of the capillary discharge thruster during normal operation were calculated. , , .in , The calculation method is shown in the following formula:
[0035] Peak current Calculated based on the following formula: .
[0036] Equivalent resistance Calculated based on the following formula: .
[0037] On-orbit placement characteristic parameter ignition delay time It is the time difference between the start time of the discharge current and the start time of the ignition signal during on-orbit ignition.
[0038] S130 compares the on-orbit characteristic parameters with the reference characteristic parameters, and determines whether the capillary discharge thruster has malfunctioned and the type of malfunction based on the comparison results.
[0039] In some embodiments, if the peak current in the on-rail characteristic parameters is lower than a preset peak threshold, it is determined to be a main circuit discharge failure; if the equivalent resistance in the on-rail characteristic parameters is higher than a preset resistance threshold, it is determined to be an external discharge failure; if the ignition delay time in the on-rail characteristic parameters exceeds a preset delay threshold, it is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup failure.
[0040] For example, if the peak current is too low, it meets the requirements. If the fault occurs, it is determined to be a fault where the main circuit discharge has not been triggered.
[0041] If the equivalent resistance is too high, it must meet the following requirements. If the discharge occurs, it is determined to be an external discharge fault, meaning that the discharge of the thruster did not occur completely inside the capillary of the thruster, but instead creeped onto the outer surface of the capillary at the same time.
[0042] If the discharge delay time is too large, it must meet the following requirements. If the spark plug surface is carbon deposited, it is determined that the spark plug surface has carbon deposits, which reduces the equivalent resistance of the spark plug discharge arc, thereby reducing the energy of the initial electrons and increasing the ignition delay time.
[0043] S140, if a fault is detected, an adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type is performed.
[0044] If the fault is determined to be a failure to trigger the main circuit discharge, the discharge energy of the ignition circuit is increased and multiple re-ignitions are performed; if the fault is determined to be an external discharge, the ignition frequency is increased and the system is operated continuously at high frequency for a period of time; if the fault is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup, the thruster main discharge circuit is shut down, allowing the spark plug to discharge independently for a period of time to remove the carbon buildup.
[0045] For example, if the main circuit discharge is not triggered, the adjustment measure is to increase the energy of the ignition circuit by 50%, so that the initial electronic energy generated by the spark plug is higher, and then ignite 10 more times.
[0046] If the fault is caused by external discharge, the adjustment measure is to increase the ignition frequency by 50%. A higher ignition frequency is beneficial for heating the internal arc of the capillary, thereby inducing more discharge energy to be deposited inside the capillary. This should be maintained for 10 minutes under high-frequency conditions.
[0047] If carbon deposits are present on the spark plug surface, the corresponding adjustment measure is to shut off the main discharge circuit of the thruster and allow the spark plug to discharge continuously for 1 minute to clean the carbon deposits on the spark plug surface through discharge.
[0048] After the above three adjustment methods, the capillary discharge thruster is activated, the discharge current is recorded again, the characteristic value is extracted, the fault is judged, a cycle is formed, and the problem is continuously investigated.
[0049] If none of the three faults occur, the capillary discharge thruster is considered to be working normally. The thruster continues to work 100 times, and then its discharge current is monitored again to form a long-term monitoring system for the operation of the capillary discharge thruster.
[0050] This application proposes characteristic parameters of the current by measuring the normal discharge current data of a capillary discharge thruster in its initial state on the ground. , , This serves as the basic data for reference. The capillary discharge thruster operates under on-orbit ignition. The thruster discharge current is measured using a Rogowski coil integrated into the power supply, and the characteristic values of the on-orbit discharge current are extracted. , , The system determines the type of on-orbit fault of the thruster by checking whether the three characteristic values exceed the threshold limits. For each type, specific adjustments are made, and the thruster is re-ignited to confirm whether the problem is resolved. If all three characteristic values exceed the limits, the thruster is considered to be operating normally, and the next monitoring cycle is performed after 100 on-orbit ignitions. This process is repeated to achieve long-term monitoring of the thruster's on-orbit operation.
[0051] As an example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the core of this method lies in constructing a closed-loop monitoring and control system from ground calibration to on-orbit autonomous operation. As indicated by the flowchart in the attached diagram, the first step is to "measure the initial normal discharge current of the thruster on the ground and extract current characteristic parameters." Specifically, in the ground vacuum chamber, the thruster is operated under nominal parameters, and its discharge current waveform is measured and recorded using a Rogowski coil, while the ignition trigger signal is also recorded. From multiple sets of normal discharge current data, benchmark characteristic parameters for subsequent comparison are extracted and statistically analyzed, including typical values and reasonable fluctuation ranges of current peak value, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time.
[0052] After the thruster is deployed in orbit, the monitoring cycle begins. The process enters the "thruster in-orbit ignition" node. During each or predetermined ignition operation, the "in-orbit discharge current is measured via the Rogowski coil integrated in the power supply" is executed. Subsequently, the measured current waveform is processed to "extract the characteristic values of the in-orbit discharge current," that is, to calculate the current peak value, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time in real time.
[0053] The diagnostic process follows the judgment shown in the attached diagram:
[0054] First-level judgment: Check whether the "current peak value is lower than the threshold" condition is met. If "yes", then "it is judged as a failure to trigger the main circuit discharge fault" and jump to the corresponding adjustment branch; if "no", then proceed to the next level of judgment.
[0055] Second-level judgment: Check whether "equivalent resistance is higher than the threshold" is true. If "yes", then "judged as an external discharge fault" and jump to the corresponding adjustment branch; if "no", then proceed to the final-level judgment.
[0056] Level 3 Judgment: Check if "discharge delay time is higher than the threshold" is true. If "yes", then "judged as spark plug carbon buildup fault" and jump to the corresponding adjustment branch.
[0057] Normal status determination: If all conditions are "no" after the above three-level judgment, then the final determination is "thrust is working normally". Subsequently, the system accumulates the number of normal ignitions. When the monitoring interval of "100 on-orbit ignitions" as noted in the attached figure is reached, the process returns to the "thrust on-orbit ignition" node and starts the next monitoring cycle.
[0058] Based on the different fault types diagnosed, the corresponding adjustment operations shown in the attached diagram will be executed automatically:
[0059] For a main circuit discharge fault that is not triggered, the ignition energy is increased. Specifically, the control power supply increases the ignition circuit energy by a preset percentage (e.g., 50%), and attempts to re-ignite a predetermined number of times with the new parameters.
[0060] For external discharge faults, the ignition frequency is increased. Specifically, the thruster operating frequency is increased by a preset percentage (e.g., 50%), and the system is kept running in this high-frequency mode for a period of time (e.g., 10 minutes) to heat up and stabilize the internal discharge channel.
[0061] For spark plug carbon buildup issues, shut down the thruster's main discharge circuit, allowing the spark plugs to clean the carbon deposits independently. Specifically, disconnect the main discharge circuit power supply and allow the spark plug circuit to discharge continuously for a period of time (e.g., 1 minute), using the discharge arc to remove carbon buildup from the electrode surface.
[0062] After any adjustment measure is implemented, the process does not end. Instead, it returns to the thruster's on-orbit ignition node, re-ignites, and repeats the on-orbit discharge current measurement, characteristic value extraction, and fault diagnosis process to verify the effectiveness of the adjustment measure. If the fault characteristics disappear, the normal operation cycle begins; if they persist, adjustments can be repeated or an advanced alarm can be triggered. The logical relationship between the three judgment boxes (determined as a main circuit discharge fault, an external discharge fault, and a spark plug carbon buildup fault) and the thruster's normal operation judgment box, all pointing to a return to the monitoring starting point, constitutes a complete "monitoring-diagnosis-adjustment-reverification" autonomous closed-loop management system, ensuring the long-term reliable on-orbit operation of the thruster.
[0063] This application embodiment can determine the thruster status solely through current signals, eliminating the need for expensive additional equipment such as thrust sensors and optical cameras, significantly reducing system complexity and on-orbit application costs. Through cyclic monitoring and intelligent adjustment mechanisms, continuous monitoring of the thruster status and autonomous fault repair can be achieved, making it suitable for long-term on-orbit missions and improving system reliability. Accurate identification of multiple fault types is achieved based on current characteristic parameters, and corresponding electrical parameter adjustments are implemented for different fault types without requiring mechanical structural modifications, making it suitable for on-orbit implementation. Thresholds and adjustment strategies can be flexibly set according to specific thruster models and mission requirements, demonstrating strong adaptability and good engineering applicability. The monitoring device can be integrated into the thruster power system, eliminating the need for complex external interfaces, making it suitable for use on space-constrained platforms such as microsatellites and nanosatellites.
[0064] Based on the same inventive concept, this application also provides an adjustment device for a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring. For example... Figure 4 As shown, the device includes:
[0065] The data acquisition module 401 is used to acquire the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster under normal ground operating conditions, and extract at least one reference feature parameter based on the reference discharge current data.
[0066] The feature extraction module 402 is used to acquire the discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster in real time during its on-orbit operation and extract the corresponding on-orbit feature parameters.
[0067] The fault judgment module 403 is used to compare the on-orbit characteristic parameters with the reference characteristic parameters, and to determine whether the capillary discharge thruster has malfunctioned and the type of malfunction based on the comparison results.
[0068] The adjustment control module 404 is used to perform adjustment operations corresponding to the fault type if a fault is detected.
[0069] In some embodiments, the reference characteristic parameters and the on-orbit characteristic parameters both include one or more of peak current, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time.
[0070] In some embodiments, the ignition delay time is the time difference between the start time of the discharge current and the start time of the ignition signal.
[0071] In some embodiments, the peak current is calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve.
[0072] In some embodiments, the equivalent resistance is calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve and the capacitance value of the energy stored in the capillary discharge thruster.
[0073] In some embodiments, the fault determination module 403 is specifically used for:
[0074] If the peak current in the on-orbit characteristic parameters is lower than the preset peak threshold, it is determined that the main circuit discharge fault has not been triggered.
[0075] If the equivalent resistance in the on-orbit characteristic parameters is higher than the preset resistance threshold, it is determined to be an external discharge fault.
[0076] If the ignition delay time in the on-orbit characteristic parameters exceeds the preset delay threshold, it is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup fault.
[0077] In some embodiments, the adjustment control module 404 is specifically used for:
[0078] If the main circuit discharge fault is determined to be not triggered, the discharge energy of the ignition circuit is increased and multiple re-ignition attempts are performed.
[0079] If the fault is determined to be an external discharge fault, the ignition frequency is increased and the system is operated continuously at high frequency for a period of time.
[0080] If the problem is determined to be spark plug carbon buildup, shut down the thruster's main discharge circuit and allow the spark plug to discharge continuously for a period of time to remove the carbon buildup.
[0081] The adjustment and control module 404 acquires discharge current data through a current sensor integrated into the power supply of the capillary discharge thruster.
[0082] The current sensor in the 404 regulating control module is a Rogowski coil.
[0083] This device embodiment corresponds to the aforementioned method embodiment and can be understood by referring to each other.
[0084] See Figure 5As shown, the electronic device 500 provided in this application embodiment includes at least: a processor 501, a memory 502, and a computer program stored in the memory 502 and executable on the processor 501. When the processor 501 executes the computer program, it implements the method provided in this application embodiment. This electronic device 500 can be integrated into a capillary discharge thruster for adjusting and controlling the capillary discharge thruster.
[0085] The electronic device 500 provided in this application embodiment may further include a bus 503 connecting different components (including processor 501 and memory 502). The bus 503 represents one or more types of bus structures, including memory bus, peripheral bus, local area bus, etc.
[0086] Memory 502 may include a readable storage medium in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM) 5021 and / or cache memory 5022, and may further include read-only memory (ROM) 5023. Memory 502 may also include a program tool 5025 having a set (at least one) of program modules 5024, including but not limited to an operating subsystem, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.
[0087] Processor 501 can be a single processing element or a collective term for multiple processing elements. For example, processor 501 can be a central processing unit (CPU) or one or more integrated circuits configured to implement the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, processor 501 can be a general-purpose processor, including but not limited to CPUs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.
[0088] Electronic device 500 can communicate with one or more external devices 504 (e.g., keyboard, remote control, etc.), and also with one or more devices that enable a user to interact with electronic device 500 (e.g., mobile phone, computer, etc.), and / or with any device that enables electronic device 500 to communicate with one or more other electronic devices 500 (e.g., router, modem, etc.). This communication can be performed through input / output (I / O) interface 505. Furthermore, electronic device 500 can also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) through network adapter 506. Figure 5 As shown, network adapter 506 communicates with other modules of electronic device 500 via bus 503. It should be understood that, although... Figure 5 As not shown in the diagram, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 500, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processors, external disk drive arrays, Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks (RAID) subsystems, tape drives, and data backup storage subsystems.
[0089] It should be noted that, Figure 5 The electronic device 500 shown is merely an example and should not impose any limitations on the functionality and scope of use of the embodiments of this application.
[0090] The computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of this application is described below. The computer-readable storage medium provided in the embodiments of this application stores computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, implement the methods provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the computer instructions may be built into or installed in a processor, so that the processor can implement the methods provided in the embodiments of this application by executing the built-in or installed computer instructions.
[0091] Furthermore, the method provided in this application embodiment can also be implemented as a computer program product, which includes program code that implements the method provided in this application embodiment when run on a processor.
[0092] The computer program product provided in this application embodiment may employ one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be, but is not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. Specifically, more specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of computer-readable storage media include: electrical connections having one or more wires, portable disks, hard disks, RAM, ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), optical fibers, portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.
[0093] The computer program product provided in this application embodiment can be a CD-ROM and include program code, and can also run on electronic devices such as computers. However, the computer program product provided in this application embodiment is not limited thereto. In this application embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores program code, which can be used by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus.
[0094] It should be noted that although several units or sub-units of the device have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is merely exemplary and not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this application, the features and functions of two or more units described above can be embodied in one unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple units.
[0095] Furthermore, although the operations of the method of this application are described in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this does not require or imply that these operations must be performed in that specific order, or that all the operations shown must be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally or alternatively, certain steps may be omitted, multiple steps may be combined into one step, and / or one step may be broken down into multiple steps.
[0096] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application.
[0097] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, if these modifications and variations to the embodiments of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.
Claims
1. A method for adjusting a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, characterized in that, include: Under normal operating conditions on the ground, the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster is acquired, and at least one reference feature parameter is extracted based on the reference discharge current data. During the on-orbit operation of the capillary discharge thruster, its discharge current data is acquired in real time, and the corresponding on-orbit characteristic parameters are extracted; wherein, the reference characteristic parameters and the on-orbit characteristic parameters each include one or more of the peak current, equivalent resistance and ignition delay time; The on-orbit characteristic parameters are compared with the reference characteristic parameters, and the capillary discharge thruster is determined to have a fault and the type of fault based on the comparison result. If a fault is detected, an adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type is performed; The step of comparing the on-orbit characteristic parameters with the reference characteristic parameters and determining whether the capillary discharge thruster has malfunctioned and the type of malfunction based on the comparison result includes: if the peak current in the on-orbit characteristic parameters is lower than a preset peak threshold, it is determined to be a main circuit discharge failure; if the equivalent resistance in the on-orbit characteristic parameters is higher than a preset resistance threshold, it is determined to be an external discharge failure; if the ignition delay time in the on-orbit characteristic parameters exceeds a preset delay threshold, it is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup failure. If a fault is detected, the adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type is performed as follows: if the fault is determined to be a failure to trigger the main circuit discharge, the discharge energy of the ignition circuit is increased and multiple re-ignitions are performed; if the fault is determined to be an external discharge, the ignition frequency is increased and the circuit is operated continuously at high frequency for a period of time; if the fault is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup, the thruster main discharge circuit is shut down, and the spark plug is allowed to discharge continuously for a period of time to remove the carbon buildup.
2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ignition delay time is the time difference between the start time of the discharge current and the start time of the ignition signal.
3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The peak current is calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve.
4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The equivalent resistance is calculated based on the first local maximum and the first local minimum of the discharge current curve, as well as the capacitance value of the energy stored in the capillary discharge thruster.
5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The acquisition of discharge current data is achieved through a current sensor integrated into the power supply of the capillary discharge thruster.
6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The current sensor is a Rogowski coil.
7. A regulating device for a capillary discharge thruster based on discharge state monitoring, characterized in that, include: The data acquisition module is used to acquire the reference discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster under normal ground operating conditions, and extract at least one reference feature parameter based on the reference discharge current data. The feature extraction module is used to acquire the discharge current data of the capillary discharge thruster in real time during its on-orbit operation and extract the corresponding on-orbit feature parameters; wherein the reference feature parameters and the on-orbit feature parameters each include one or more of the following: peak current, equivalent resistance, and ignition delay time. The fault diagnosis module is used to compare the on-orbit characteristic parameters with the reference characteristic parameters, and determine whether the capillary discharge thruster has malfunctioned and the type of malfunction based on the comparison result. The adjustment control module is used to perform an adjustment operation corresponding to the fault type if a fault is detected. The fault judgment module is specifically used for: if the peak current in the on-rail characteristic parameters is lower than a preset peak threshold, it is determined to be a main circuit discharge failure; if the equivalent resistance in the on-rail characteristic parameters is higher than a preset resistance threshold, it is determined to be an external discharge failure; if the ignition delay time in the on-rail characteristic parameters exceeds a preset delay threshold, it is determined to be a spark plug carbon buildup failure. The adjustment and control module is specifically used for: if it is determined that the main circuit discharge fault is not triggered, increasing the discharge energy of the ignition circuit and performing multiple re-ignitions; if it is determined that the external discharge fault is detected, increasing the ignition frequency and running continuously under high-frequency conditions for a period of time; if it is determined that the spark plug carbon buildup fault is detected, shutting down the thruster main discharge circuit and allowing the spark plug to discharge continuously for a period of time to remove carbon buildup.
Citation Information
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