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Development and Evaluation of an Embedded System for a CubeSat Electrical Power Supply
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- Author / Creator
- Zhu, Junqi
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AlbertaSat is a group of researchers and students at the University of Alberta who are developing low-cost satellites with open-source software that follow the CubeSat form factor. It is one of the projects funded by the Canadian CubeSat Project, whose goal is to provide a hands-on satellite experience to students. The primary mission of the on-going CubeSat design of AlbertaSat, Ex-Alta2, is to predict, track, and assess the aftereffects of wildfires. The subject of the present thesis is the software design, implementation and evaluation of the electrical power supply for future AlbertaSat missions.
In this thesis dissertation, we describe the design and test of the real-time software system that controls a CubeSat electrical power supply (EPS). The development of this system takes the reliability, efficiency, and functionality of the EPS into account, at each fundamental design step. Major features of the new EPS include: (1) a software-optimized maximum power point tracking algorithm; (2) a battery protection module which has separate charging and discharging control; (3) a predictive algorithm for battery heater control that saves power by keeping the battery temperature lower in eclipse for discharge only, and heating the battery up before exiting eclipse in preparation for battery charging; (4) eighteen switched power channels, each with software-controlled overcurrent protection, to supply power to separate loads in the satellite; (5) auto-adjusted overcurrent thresholds that accommodate the increased semiconductor currents that occur as chips are exposed to increasing total lifetime doses of radiation; and (6) the backup design for configuration data to protect system from data corruption. The design and implementation of each module is discussed in detail. -
- Subjects / Keywords
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- Graduation date
- Spring 2023
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- Type of Item
- Thesis
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- Degree
- Master of Science
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- License
- This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.