Elara Aerospace Trust Vector Control (TVC)

Elara Aerospace's Trust Vector Control (TVC) software

Installation

To compile the C code into a shared library:

gcc -shared -o tvc_hardware.so -fPIC tvc_hardware.c

Development Process

Let's break this down into steps:

• Define the basic structure
• Create the main Python script
• Develop C modules for low-level hardware control
• Implement the control algorithm
• Add telemetry and logging

File Structure

The are the important files containing the TVC software code:

• tvc_controller.py: The main Python script.
• tvc_hardware.c: The C module for low-level hardware control. This will be compiled into a shared library that our Python script can use.
• tvc_hardware.so (on Linux/macOS) or tvc_hardware.dll (on Windows): Compiled C shared library.
• tvc_log.txt: Log file.

These names clearly indicate the purpose of each file and follow common naming conventions in software development. The prefix tvc_ helps identify all files related to the Thrust Vector Control system.

Functionality

This basic structure provides a foundation for the TVC software. Here's what each part does:

• The Python script defines the main control loop and high-level logic.
• The C module handles low-level hardware interactions for better performance.
• The TVCController class manages the control algorithm, including target angle, current angle, and PID gains.
• The control loop runs at 100 Hz, constantly adjusting the TVC based on the difference between target and current angles.
• Logging is implemented to track the system's behavior over time.

Ideas and Future Improvements (Concept)

To improve this system, consider:

• Implementing full PID control instead of just proportional control.
• Adding error handling and system health checks.
• Implementing a communication protocol to receive commands from a ground station.
• Adding more sophisticated modeling of rocket dynamics.
• Implementing sensor fusion if multiple sensors are available.

License

Copyright (C) 2024 - present Elara Aerospace. All rights reserved.