Miniature GNC Sensors using APS devices

摘要

Since 1993, research concerning CMOS APS (Active Pixel Sensor) has been intensively carried out in order to offer an alternative to CCD as an imaging sensor. APS devices have now reached electro-optical performances close to standard front illuminated CCD devices. The low power, low cost and high integration level characteristics of APS devices allow the design of low mass, low power and low cost GNC sensors and are key success factors to the design of equipment for microsats, landers or rovers on one hand, and for the next generation of high performance sensors on the other hand. Matra Marconi Space is currently studying with CNES a Miniature Autonomous Star Tracker concept based on a highly integrated APS device. This product is designed to meet the requirements of a large subset of applications such as the Microsat CNES program, MMS geostationnary satellites, Earth observation satellites or interplanetary spacecrafts like Mars Sample Return. Activities carried out on APS devices by Matra Marconi Space and the CIMI group of SUPAERO last year have demonstrated the high performance and the radiation hardness met by the selected APS design. The detailed measured performance is presented in this paper. Based on these technological outcomes, MMS and CIMI/SUPAERO have designed a versatile 512 X 512 pixels APS device. The APS device of the Miniature Autonomous Star Tracker is derived from the existing 512 X 512 pixels APS device. The paper presents the main characteristics of this sensor designed to achieve high accuracy performance with attractive mass, power and cost features.