Reaction Wheel with Embedded MEMS IMU

Reaction wheels are used to stabilize satellites and to slew their orientation from object to object with precision and accuracy by varying the rotational speed of the wheels. Three or four wheels are usually used with three of them aligned along orthogonal axes. The degree to which pointing stability is achieved depends on the stability of the wheels' angular momentum vectors while spinning, which can be affected by static and dynamic unbalance contributions and other wheel construction issues. With the smaller satellites, requiring smaller wheels, the stability of the wheels will be even more challenging as the uncertainty of construction is likely to remain the same. To stabilize the smaller reaction wheels we propose to integrate a Sensor Chip containing MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers with each reaction wheel. This allows direct measurement of the wheel motions for fine-tuning its operation. The improved wheel then becomes a means for improving IMU sensor stability for precision pointing and slewing from object to object.

MSSA's single-chip Integrated MEMS IMU will be substantially smaller and less expensive, and will enable more highly-integrated applications than are possible with other MEMS IMUs. The principal military applications of MEMS IMUs are for interceptors and for precision-guided munitions, especially spinning munitions. Other military and commercial applications for MEMS IMUs are for the stabilization and GN&C of vehicles; for the stabilization and GN&C of small UAVs and for stabilization of UAV-borne sensors, seekers and cameras, (including Homeland Security and police operations); lower-cost IMUs for air, land and water vehicle navigation, with or without GPS-aiding; Personal Navigation for warfighters and civilian "first responders" such as fire-fighters; robotic stabilization and GN&C; precision motion tracking for portable/wearable systems (helmets & headsets); precision pointing and tracking for satellites, antennas and telescopes; and bore-hole measurement systems.

MSSA's MEMS IMU Sensor Chip enables modular and programmable guidance & navigation systems with significantly reduced mass and cost for low-cost small spacecraft, microsatellites and nanosatellites. A MEMS IMU integrated with a reaction wheel enables both the measure of spin rate as well as the determination of attitude when three wheels are used. The applications are generally pointing and tracking.

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