Date of Award

12-1992

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Department

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics

First Advisor

D. Brett Ridgely, PhD

Abstract

The Starfire Beam Director (SBD) is located at the Starfire Optical Range at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The SBD capabilities include tracking celestial objects and active or passive tracking of artificial satellites to support the Phillips Laboratory Ground Based Laser Acquisition, Tracking, and Pointing (GBL ATP) program. The pointing and tracking accuracy needed to support such experiments is micron rad to sub-grad level. To accomplish this goal requires precise pointing of the massive 6 ton 1 -meter clear aperture coelostat. The purpose of this thesis is to use optimal control design techniques to develop a controller to meet the stringent pointing requirements. A nominal linear state-space model was built which included gimbal dynamics, plant disturbances, and sensor noise. Then optimal control design techniques were used to develop unity feedback and two degree of freedom controllers. The various controllers were simulated with the coelostat truth model, which incorporated the higher frequency control loop and motor dynamics, nonlinearities, plant disturbances, sensor noise, and discrete control effects. The best of the designs, the H2 unity feedback controller, was compared and contrasted with the performance of the controller currently being used, which was obtained by classical control design. The H2 controller exceeded tracking requirements and in most areas performed better than the current controller.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-GAE-ENY-92D-16

DTIC Accession Number

ADA258839

Comments

The author's Vita page is omitted.

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