Small Star Simulator Developed Methods And The Development Of Technology

The miniature star simulator introduced in the paper is a testing equipment simulating the sky on the ground, in this way the functional testing for star map recognition algorithm of a star sensor can be carried out and the simulated star map can be given at real-time. Based on the practical demands in miniature star simulator project and combining with the technical specifications of star sensor for user, the paper proposes to use subminiature high-resolution Model P13XM015 TFT-LCD liquid crystal light valve devices as the core elements for displaying star map and describes development methods and development technologies for the whole system of the miniature star simulator from the view of project application. An analysis for various factors affecting measuring accuracy is carried out in theory.The operating principle, design, manufacture, machining, calibration and testing of the whole system are described in detail in the paper. The key unit techniques such as collimating objective of the optical system, establishment of the simulation star database, coordinate conversion, position calculation, position accuracy produced by star point and system control software are emphatically introduced. The technical properties and difficulties for developing the next generation of star simulator are analyzed. The testing methods for two important technical specifications--angular distance accuracy between stars and magnitude of the miniature star simulator are further studied in the paper, thus the difficult problems such as calibration and testing of the high-accuracy star simulator are solved from the engineering.