基于地心地固坐标系的卫星窄波束指向算法及仿真

    Satellite narrow beam pointing algorithm and simulation based on the ECEF coordinate system

    • 摘要: 在低轨卫星窄波束对地面站覆盖保障场景中,由于卫星相对速度快、过顶时间短,需要星上不断自主计算波束指向角度并调整天线指向,才能对地面站稳定跟踪。因通过开普勒轨道六根数外推得到的卫星位置、速度是基于惯性坐标系,所以传统波束指向算法大多是基于卫星在惯性坐标系内的位置、速度及姿态数据来计算波束指向角度的,计算过程不可避免地需要将地面站经纬度、高度信息转换至惯性坐标系,该转换过程需考虑岁差、章动及极移的影响,不仅计算过程复杂,且部分转换矩阵需要查表定期维护,不利于在轨运行。此外,传统波束指向算法需依赖卫星在惯性系内的速度向量构建轨道坐标系,使得速度计算误差对计算结果产生较大影响。为了解决这些问题,本文基于国内主流低轨卫星平台能够测量并输出地心地固坐标系下卫星姿态和位置这一现状,提出基于地心地固坐标系计算波束指向角度的算法,可根据卫星在地心地固坐标系内的位置以及卫星以地心地固坐标系为参考系的姿态角,快速计算天线二维转动角,实现低轨卫星窄波束对地面视场内任意站点的精准指向,相比传统算法,避免了岁差、章动及极移矩阵的引入,降低了计算复杂度,也避免了引入卫星速度,使得速度误差不会对结果造成影响。通过与STK计算结果进行仿真对比,表明本算法计算误差极小,适合于在星载资源受限环境下快速确定卫星窄波束指向角度,能够提升卫星波束指向的精准度与响应能力。

       

      Abstract: In the scenario of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite narrow-beam coverage guarantee for ground stations, due to the high relative velocity and short zenith pass time of the satellite, it is necessary for the satellite to continuously autonomously calculate the beam pointing angle and adjust the antenna pointing in order to achieve stable tracking of the ground stations. Since the satellite position and velocity obtained through extrapolation using Kepler's six orbital elements are based on the inertial coordinate system, most traditional beam pointing algorithms calculate the beam pointing angle based on the satellite's position, velocity, and attitude data within the inertial coordinate system. The calculation process inevitably requires converting the ground station's longitude, latitude, and altitude information to the inertial coordinate system. This conversion process needs to consider the effects of precession, nutation, and polar motion, which not only complicates the calculation process but also requires regular maintenance of certain conversion matrices through table lookups, which is not conducive to on-orbit operation. On the other hand, traditional beam pointing algorithms rely on the velocity vector of the satellite within the inertial system to construct the orbital coordinate system, making the velocity calculation error a significant factor affecting the calculation results. To address these issues, based on the current situation where mainstream LEO satellite platforms in China can measure and output satellite attitude and position in the Earth-centered, Earth-fixed (ECEF) coordinate system, this paper proposes an algorithm for calculating the beam pointing angle based on the ECEF coordinate system. This algorithm can quickly calculate the two-dimensional rotation angle of the antenna based on the satellite's position within the ECEF coordinate system and its attitude angle with the ECEF coordinate system as the reference frame, achieving precise pointing of the LEO satellite narrow-beam at any station within the ground field of view. Compared to traditional algorithms, this approach avoids introducing matrices for precession, nutation, and polar motion, significantly reducing computational complexity. It also avoids introducing satellite velocity, ensuring that velocity errors do not affect the results. Simulation comparisons with STK calculation results indicate that this algorithm has minimal calculation error and is suitable for quickly determining the satellite narrow-beam pointing angle in an environment with limited on-board resources. It can significantly enhance the accuracy and response capability of satellite beam pointing.