Spacecraft Link System Bypassing On-Board Computer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned spacecraft face significant challenges in replacing or repairing malfunctioning hardware components, as it is impractical and expensive to do so after launch, and on-board computers may fail to manage fault conditions effectively, leading to reduced performance or complete loss of functionality.
Innovation Solution
A link system that communicates directly with spacecraft subsystems independently of the on-board computer, enabling external entities to perform recovery actions by determining anomalies and initiating recovery procedures, such as restarting the on-board computer or enabling direct communication with subsystems, thereby bypassing the on-board computer and providing additional redundancy without the need for a backup computer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundancy of critical components is used to replace faulty hardware, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary communication system that directly connects external entities to spacecraft subsystems, bypassing the on-board computer. This intermediary layer enables fault tolerance without requiring redundant hardware, as the system can route communications through alternative paths when the primary on-board computer fails.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication system into independent components: the on-board computer handles normal operations while a separate link system manages communication with external entities. This segmentation allows the link system to function independently if the on-board computer fails, providing reliability without requiring complete redundancy of all components.
2Reliability
If on-board computer is configured to handle fault conditions, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The link system acts as an intermediary that external entities use to communicate with subsystems. When the on-board computer fails, external entities can still interact with subsystems through this intermediary link system, which simplifies the fault handling architecture compared to requiring the on-board computer to manage all fault conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts communication management functionality from the on-board computer and places it in a separate link system. This extraction reduces the complexity burden on the on-board computer during fault conditions, as the link system independently handles communication routing and subsystem access.
3Device complexity
If connectivity intelligence is integrated only in the on-board computer, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments connectivity intelligence into two separate systems: the on-board computer for normal operations and the link system for communication management. This segmentation ensures that if the on-board computer fails, connectivity intelligence remains functional through the link system, improving reliability without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The link system serves as an intermediary that maintains connectivity intelligence independently of the on-board computer. This intermediary structure ensures continuous communication capability between external entities and subsystems even when the on-board computer is malfunctioning, thereby improving reliability.
4Reliability
If link system communicates independently of on-board computer, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements segmentation by creating a separate link system that communicates independently with subsystems. This independent communication path provides reliability through redundancy, while the modular segmented architecture limits the complexity increase to only the communication layer rather than requiring system-wide redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The link system is designed with multi-functionality to handle various communication scenarios: normal operation mode, fault detection mode, and recovery mode. This universal design allows a single additional system component to serve multiple purposes, improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A link system (100) for a spacecraft (10) comprises control and communication circuitry and is configured to communicate with subsystems (12) in the spacecraft (10) independent of an on-board computer (102) and configured to manage communication between the subsystems (12) and external entities (150, 160). The link system (100) is configured to determine that an anomaly has occurred in functionality of the on-board computer (102) and/or at least one subsystem (12). As a consequence of the determination that an anomaly has occurred, the link system (100) initiates a recovery procedure that comprises enabling the external entity (150, 160) to execute recovery actions in relation to the on-board computer (102) and/or at least one subsystem (12).