Multi-granularity hierarchical grid division method for multiple satellites earth coverage calculation

Aiming to the multi-satellite joint ground coverage issue, the geometric characteristics of satellite constellations and their earth coverage is analyzed. A novel method combining the Delaunay triangulation with the multi-granularity hierarchical grid division for computing multi-satellite ground coverage is proposed. Firstly, based on the characteristics and division rules of Delaunay triangulation, the coverage target area into characteristic geometric elements is segmented, and the coverage state of spherical triangles is defined by introducing the method for determining the coverage status of constellations. Based on this foundation, the methods for calculating instantaneous ground coverage rates and accurately computing temporal coverage metrics are further proposed. Numerical simulation experiments have validated the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm in various coverage scenarios, proving its applicability not only to the regularly shaped terrestrial regions but also to efficiently handling the coverage issues of arbitrarily shaped ground targets.