Mega-Constellation Orbit Sharing for Collision Avoidance

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Current frameworks lack effective collision avoidance mechanisms for mega-constellation operators during orbit insertion and orbital disposal, leading to potential safety risks and insufficient collision avoidance operations.

Innovation Solution

A space traffic management system where connected mega-constellation business devices share quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information among themselves to facilitate collision avoidance, using representative satellites to manage and disseminate relative orbital data for all satellites within the constellation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If all orbital information of all satellites in a mega-constellation is shared in real-time, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but communication bandwidth requirements and system complexity increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision avoidance capabilityVSAvoidinformation sharing system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the mega-constellation into multiple satellite groups, with each group having a designated representative satellite. Instead of sharing information from all satellites individually, only the representative satellites' orbital information is shared with other business devices. This segmentation reduces the volume of shared information while maintaining collision avoidance capability, as the representative satellites serve as proxies for their respective groups.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces representative satellites as intermediaries between the actual satellites and the information sharing system. The representative satellites collect and represent the orbital information of multiple constituent satellites, acting as mediators that reduce the direct information exchange burden. This intermediary approach allows collision avoidance analysis without requiring direct real-time data from every satellite.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If complete orbital information of all satellites is transmitted to all business devices, then collision analysis accuracy is improved, but communication bandwidth and data transmission requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision analysis accuracyVSAvoiddata transmission volume

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the satellite constellation into segments (satellite groups) represented by representative satellites. This segmentation reduces the total quantity of orbital information that needs to be transmitted, as only representative satellite data is shared externally while maintaining the ability to analyze collision risks for all constituent satellites through their representative's position data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a centralized system manages all orbital information, then collision avoidance coordination is improved, but system response time and operational autonomy of individual operators decrease

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecollision avoidance coordinationVSAvoidsystem response time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a segmented information sharing model where each business device receives orbital information from representative satellites of other constellations. This segmentation enables parallel processing and independent collision analysis at each business device, eliminating centralized bottlenecks and reducing response time while maintaining coordination through standardized data formats.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Each business device performs its own collision avoidance analysis using the shared representative satellite information, rather than relying on a centralized system to make decisions. This self-service approach empowers individual operators to autonomously assess collision risks and take appropriate actions, reducing dependency on centralized coordination and improving response time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS20230143280A1Space traffic management system, space information recorder, space traffic management device, space traffic management method, collision avoidance assist business device, space object business device, mega-constellation business device, rocket launch assist business device, space situational awareness business device, debris removal business device, rocket launch business device, and oadr

Publication Date: 2023.05.11 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP

AI summary

A space traffic management device (100) mounted in a mega-constellation business device (41) specifies one to a plurality of representative satellites from a mega-constellation satellite group flying on orbits having the same nominal orbital altitude, and has quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite and orbital information relative values of constituent satellites other than the representative satellite, relative to the representative satellite. The space traffic management device (100) shares the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite and the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, with the space traffic management devices (100) mounted in a plurality of business devices.