Optimal Sensor Placement for Modal Identification in Multirotary-Joint Solar Power Satellite

In this study, optimal sensor placement (OSP) is investigated to select the best-suited sensor configurations for a multirotary-joint solar power satellite (MJ-SPS). To accurately realize the OSP and reduce the computational costs, three sensor specifications are considered, namely, number, edge effect, and measurement degree of freedom. As an important initial input for the sensor placement study, the dynamic analysis of the MJ-SPS is proposed. Six OSP methods are investigated to select the best sensor layout for MJ-SPS. The edge effect of the sensor location is noted in the final sensor placement results. In addition, three standards and two novel criteria i.e., sensor distribution, and similarity of sensor locations, have been added to evaluate the effectiveness of the sensor configurations. The OSP of the MJ-SPS is discussed and compared using the results of these assessments. Different numbers of sensors and orders of modal shape are compared, emphasizing the importance of this work for the MJ-SPS and OSP methods.