Embedded System Power Management for Lunar Rover Mission

Abstract

Lunar Rover Vehicle Power Management (PM) is essential for achieving mission goals. Power storage, generation, and consumption must be considered when carrying out mission tasks, as each task requires a different power profile. We use power profile data to achieve the best efficiency and mission operations. Battery power management is critical for meeting mission goals, as the battery is the primary power source for lunar missions. State of Charge (S) is a vital battery parameter impacting Lunar Rover mission operations. Estimating battery S is crucial in defining future mission operation sequences. Using a novel approach, we improve the transient response time to estimate battery S without disturbing the steady state of S. This paper adds the α parameter to the battery model’s state-space system matrices A and B. By involving the α parameter in the A and B matrices of the battery, followed by the Kalman filter and Process Noise (Q), we develop a framework that allows the user to tune the noise effect and transient response time for S estimation. This technique provides a tool to use parameters based on system requirements, allowing us to define the design space for S estimation, which helps us understand how fast a response we need to estimate S considering noise. The estimation of S predicts future battery behaviour, specifically while operating different scenarios made up of a mode of operation to achieve mission goals. The algorithm for prediction takes into consideration the potential future power requirements of the Rashid lunar rover batteries, resulting in meaningful outcomes and an exact portrayal of prediction uncertainty. We demonstrate the framework using experimental test data on 4S2P 18650 lithium-ion batteries powering a Rashid Lunar Rover at the Muhammad Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC). Although the analysis focuses on the Lunar vehicle, the framework can be extended to similar systems.

Date of Award	Apr 2023
Original language	American English
Supervisor	Baker Mohammad (Supervisor)