Simulation and Experimental Research on the Disturbance Behavior of a Sun-Tracking Solar Array Driven by a Stepping Motor

Daowei Zhang,Chunjuan Zhao,Jisong Yu,Shanbo Chen,Lei Zhang,Yongliang Guan

doi:10.3390/app11199076

Abstract

A sun-tracking solar array is an effective solution to the increasing energy demand of spacecrafts. However, the driving torque fluctuation of the solar array driving assembly (SADA) and its oscillatory motion lead to the micro-vibration problem of the spacecraft. In this article, a disturbance torque model of the sun-tracking solar array, which takes its friction and flexibility into consideration, is established. Furthermore, a test platform was built to measure the disturbance force/torque, and a solar array simulator (SAS) was designed to replace the solar array in the ground experiments. Finally, the disturbance torque of the SADA-driven SAS is simulated, and the model is validated by comparing the simulation results with the experimental results. These results show that the frequency error of the model is less than 0.648%, and the amplitude error of the corresponding frequency is less than 22.33%, which indicates that the proposed model can effectively predict the disturbance torque generated by the sun-tracking solar array in orbit. The research provides theoretical guidance for the system optimization design and micro-vibration suppression of spacecrafts.

Highlights

As the functions of spacecrafts have become increasingly numerous and powerful, their energy demand has increased sharply
The dynamic characteristic of a multi-fold solar array was analyzed, with the analysis results revealing that the torsional mode contributed most of the dynamic response inspired by the solar array driving assembly (SADA)
The disturbance torque generated by the SADA-driven solar array simulator (SAS) was tested by the micro-disturbance force/torque measurement platform, which was built based on a Kistler 6-component piezoelectric sensor

Summary

Introduction

As the functions of spacecrafts have become increasingly numerous and powerful, their energy demand has increased sharply. The sun-tracking solar array is a source of disturbance, and the disturbance it causes is mainly concentrated on the low-frequency band, which has the characteristics of a wide-frequency band and lasts for a long period of time [9]. This affects the performance of the spacecraft payloads and even the attitude stability of the satellite in some cases [10,11]

Objectives

Results

Conclusion