Sun sensor using a nanosatellites solar panels by means of time-division multiplexing

The solar vector, which defines the angle between the satellite and the Sun, is an important parameter for attitude control of a nanosatellite. It is highly desirable to enable accurate attitude control of a nanosatellite without increasing size and mass. To solve this issue, this study presents a novel sun sensor based on solar panel time-division multiplexing. The mathematical relationship between the short-circuit current of the solar panel and the solar vector is derived, and a mathematical model of the time-division multiplexing for the sensor is introduced. A sample of the sensor is built and an experiment is conducted to obtain the short-circuit current data for different angles. The output of the sensor is included in the mathematical model to obtain the solar vector. The relevant measurement errors of the sensor is also derived. The results show that the sensor is capable of measuring across the 0-180° range with a maximum absolute error of measurement of 4.531° and a relative error of 2.517%.