Vector Control-Based Singularity Avoidance/Escape Steering Law for Single Gimbal Control Moment Gyros

Abstract

The single-gimbal control moment gyros (SGCMGs) steering law has been a standing topic in the field of spacecraft attitude control for several decades. A practical steering law should meet the following requirements simultaneously: powerful singularity avoidance ability, high precision torque output ability and fast singularity escape ability. Moreover, the angular velocity commands generated by the steering law should not jitter sharply. In this paper, a vector control-based singularity avoidance and escape steering law for SGCMGs is proposed to satisfy these goals. In addition, a system angular momentum state evaluation function for command torque is defined for the first time, which can be used to effectively evaluate the remaining angular momentum resources for the command torque. We demonstrate the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed steering law with detailed comparisons to existing efforts.