Systems and methods for on-orbit fabrication of structures by 3D printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10906290-B2
Application number	US-201715474456-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2017
Priority date	Mar 30, 2017
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

Spacecraft including a spacecraft bus. An additive manufacturing system of the spacecraft bus including at least one extruder for delivering feedstock to print an object outside of the spacecraft bus. A sensor for determining a pose of the spacecraft bus relative to an astronomical body. At least one processor in communication with the additive manufacturing system and the sensor, controls an operation of the additive manufacturing system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus, to manufacture the object outside of the spacecraft bus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spacecraft, comprising:
a spacecraft bus including an additive manufacturing system having a fixed initial base structure prior to entering a space environment, wherein the additive manufacturing system includes at least one extruder for delivering feedstock to the initial base structure to print an object located in, and directly exposed to, environmental effects of the space environment of space outside of the spacecraft bus;
a sensor of the spacecraft bus determines a pose of the spacecraft bus relative to an astronomical body; and
at least one processor in communication with the additive manufacturing system and the sensor, controls an operation of the fixed initial base structure supporting the at least one extruder of the additive manufacturing system via an internal additive manufacturing system positioning system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus that includes controlling at least one environmental effect of the environmental effects of the space environment by movement of the spacecraft bus, and moving the fixed initial base structure supporting the at least one extruder with the feedstock to different manufacturing locations located in, and directly exposed to, the environmental effects of the space environment of space outside of the spacecraft bus while the at least one extruder is extruding feedstock to the fixed initial base structure to the different manufacturing locations, based on the pose of the spacecraft bus, wherein the manufactured object upon completion includes the fixed initial base structure and is operationally controllable by the at least one processor via the controlling of the additive manufacturing system.

2. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein the pose of the spacecraft bus includes one or combination of an attitude of the spacecraft bus and an orbital position of the spacecraft bus with respect to the astronomical body, such that the astronomical body is from the group consisting of the Sun, the Earth, the Moon or fixed stars.

3. The spacecraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
a command system in communication with the at least one processor and the additive manufacturing system, for determining, controlling, or both, environmental conditions of an area in space proximal the at least one extruder, wherein the at least one processor controls the operation of the additive manufacturing system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus, in combination with the command system for determination of the environmental conditions or the control of the environmental conditions, of the area in space proximal to the at least one extruder.

4. The spacecraft of claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one temperature sensor in communication with the command system, determines a temperature of the area in space proximal to the at least one extruder, wherein the at least one processor controls the operation of the additive manufacturing system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus in combination with the determined temperature, when the determined temperature is within a predetermined range.

5. The spacecraft of claim 4 , wherein the predetermined temperature range for the operation of the additive manufacturing system is within a range of 10 to 50 degrees Centigrade or 180 to 350 degrees Centigrade.

6. The spacecraft of claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one sensor in communication with the command system, determines a light level originating from space, proximal the at least one extruder, wherein the at least one processor controls the operation of the additive manufacturing system as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus in combination with the determined level of the light, when the determined level of the light is within a predetermined range.

7. The spacecraft of claim 6 , wherein the predetermined range for the determined level of the light is within a range of 0.0001 milliwatt per square centimeter (10 watt/m 3 ) to 10.000 milliwatt per square centimeter (10 Kwatt/m 3 ).

8. The spacecraft of claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one controllable light reflector in communication with the command system, controllably reflects a level of light onto a surface of the feedstock, such that the at least one controllable light reflector controllably emits, reflects, or blocks a level of light onto a surface of the feedstock, wherein the feedstock is a light-curable material, and the light is a light originating from space, wherein the at least one processor controls the operation of the at least one controllable light reflector as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus.

9. The spacecraft of claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one controllable protective shield in communication with the command system, controllably shields an amount of exposure of the light proximal the at least one extruder, wherein the at least one processor controls the at least one protective shield as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus in combination with the determined level of the light, when the determined level of the light is within a predetermined range.

10. The spacecraft of claim 3 , wherein the feedstock is a light curable feedstock.

11. The spacecraft of claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one controllable light source in communication with the command system, projecting one or more light beam onto a surface of the feedstock, such that the feedstock is a light-curable material, wherein the at least one processor controls the light source as a function of the pose of the spacecraft bus in combination with a level of the light from the controllable light source.

12. The spacecraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one controllable device such as an imaging device or camera in communication with the at least one processor and the additive manufacturing system, generates images while the feedstock is extruded from the at least one extruder onto the initial base structure, and based on the images, adaptively controls a rate of extrusion of the feedstock from the at least one extruder, a rate of relative motion between the at least one extruder to the initial base structure, or both.

13. The spacecraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one attitude control system mounted on the spacecraft bus for providing a motive force to maintain the pose of the spacecraft bus at or near a set of target poses, wherein the set of target poses are determined by a set of predetermined poses stored in a memory in communication with the at least one processor.

14. The spacecraft of claim 13 , wherein the attitude control system is composed of one or more of reaction wheels, control moment gyroscopes, magnetic torquers, cold-gas thrusters, monopropellant thrusters, bipropellant thrusters, hall effect thrusters or ion thrusters.

15. The spacecraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one controllable feedstock deflector positioned approximate the at least one extruder and in communication with the at least one processor, controls flow of the feedstock during extrusion to form at least one surface of the manufactured object, wherein the at least one processor controls the feedstock deflector as a function of a rate of extrusion of the feedstock from the at least one extruder, a rate of relative motion between the at least one extruder to the initial base structure, or both.

16. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein the internal additive manufacturing system positioning system is a positioning system mounted within the additive manufacturing system, includes a telescoping linear ram having multiple telescoping sections c

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Electric Res Laboratories Inc

Inventors

• Yerazunis William
• Weiss Avishai
• Wang Bingnan

Classifications

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B33Y40/00

  Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling · CPC title

• B64G1/401

  Liquid propellant rocket engines (Ion or plasma engines B64G1/413; Arcjets and other resistojets B64G1/415) · CPC title

• B64G1/413

  Ion or plasma engines · CPC title