Singularity problem of control moment gyro cluster with vibration isolators

As powerful torque amplification actuators, control moment gyros (CMGs) are often used in the attitude control of many state-of-the-art high resolution satellites. However, the disturbance generated by the CMGs can not only reduce the attitude stability of a satellite but also deteriorate the performance of optic payloads. Currently, CMG vibration isolators are widely used to target this problem. The isolators can affect the singularity of the CMG system as they are placed between the CMGs and the satellite bus and provide additional freedoms to the CMG system due to their flexibility. The formulation of the output torque of a CMG is studied first considering the dynamic imbalance of its spin rotor and then the deformation angle as a result of the isolator’s flexibility is calculated. With the additional freedoms, the influence of isolator on the singularity problem is studied and a new steering logic to escape from the singular states is proposed.