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Photovoltaic panels as attitude sensors for artificial satellites

The main contribution of this paper is to present a formal analysis of the use of PV panels as attitude sensors in order to determine the orientation of a satellite relative to the sun and the satellite's angular rates. Four artificial satellite configurations are considered: parallelepiped, hexagonal, octagonal prismatic, and winged satellites. Since the short-circuit currents of PV panels are fundamental variables for the determination of the orientation relative to the sun, this paper also shows methods for measuring them using power converters that condition and regulate the generated electric power. Furthermore, some aspects of the use of PV panels as sensors are experimentally verified. The results show that the accuracy of the measurements with PV panels can be acceptable for applications involving low-cost small, micro-, nano-, and picoartificial satellites, thus increasing the sensing options for future spacecraft missions.