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Improved Accuracy of a Single-Slit Digital Sun Sensor Design for CubeSat Application Using Sub-Pixel Interpolation.

Fuat Kaan Diriker¹, Alexander Frias¹, Ki Hwan Keum¹

¹Department of ESSE, York University, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada.

Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)

|March 6, 2021

Summary

This study introduces a novel single-slit digital sun sensor (DSS) with enhanced accuracy through sub-pixel interpolation. The improved DSS design achieves sub-0.01-degree Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), significantly outperforming standard 1-bit readouts.

Keywords:

CubeSat digital sun sensor single-slit design sub-pixel interpolation

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Area of Science:

Spacecraft Attitude Determination
Optical Sensing Technologies
Micro-systems Fabrication

Background:

Digital sun sensors (DSS) are crucial for spacecraft attitude determination.
Recent advancements in micro-systems and optical sensing have improved DSS design.
Existing DSS designs face limitations in accuracy and computational complexity.

Purpose of the Study:

To propose a simple single-slit digital sun sensor (DSS) concept with improved accuracy.
To investigate the impact of sub-pixel interpolation on DSS performance.
To evaluate the DSS integration within a CubeSat attitude determination system.

Main Methods:

Developed a single-slit DSS with optimized mask geometry (slit size, mask height, pixel width).
Implemented a two-step pixel read-out algorithm for sub-pixel interpolation (1-, 2-, 4-, and 8-bit readouts).
Integrated the enhanced DSS with commercial-grade sensors and the TRIAD algorithm for CubeSat attitude determination in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

Main Results:

The 8-bit DSS achieved a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) better than 0.01 degrees.
This represents a significant accuracy improvement over the standard 1-bit readout mode (0.32 degrees RMSE).
Integration within a CubeSat scenario showed marginal improvements in attitude knowledge due to limitations in other sensors like magnetometers.

Conclusions:

The proposed single-slit DSS with sub-pixel interpolation offers a substantial accuracy enhancement.
While the DSS accuracy is high, overall CubeSat attitude determination accuracy is limited by lower-precision sensors.
Future work may focus on improving the accuracy of complementary sensors for better integrated attitude determination.