Patents by Inventor Alex Walsh

Alex Walsh has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Concurrent station keeping, attitude control, and momentum management of spacecraft
    Patent number: 10180686
    Abstract: An operation of a spacecraft is controlled using an inner-loop control determining first control inputs for momentum exchange devices to control an orientation of the spacecraft and an outer-loop control determining second control inputs for thrusters of the spacecraft to concurrently control a pose of the spacecraft and a momentum stored by the momentum exchange devices of the spacecraft. The outer-loop control determines the second control inputs using a model of dynamics of the spacecraft including dynamics of the inner-loop control, such that the outer-loop control accounts for effects of actuation of the momentum exchange devices according to the first control inputs determined by the inner-loop control. The thrusters and the momentum exchange devices are controlled according to at least a portion of the first and the second control inputs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Avishai Weiss, Stefano Di Cairano, Alex Walsh
  • Concurrent Station Keeping, Attitude Control, and Momentum Management of Spacecraft
    Publication number: 20170269610
    Abstract: An operation of a spacecraft is controlled using an inner-loop control determining first control inputs for momentum exchange devices to control an orientation of the spacecraft and an outer-loop control determining second control inputs for thrusters of the spacecraft to concurrently control a pose of the spacecraft and a momentum stored by the momentum exchange devices of the spacecraft. The outer-loop control determines the second control inputs using a model of dynamics of the spacecraft including dynamics of the inner-loop control, such that the outer-loop control accounts for effects of actuation of the momentum exchange devices according to the first control inputs determined by the inner-loop control. The thrusters and the momentum exchange devices are controlled according to at least a portion of the first and the second control inputs.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Publication date: September 21, 2017
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories, Inc.
    Inventors: Avishai Weiss, Stefano Di Cairano, Alex Walsh