The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 17, 1996
Filed:
Jan. 24, 1994
Douglas J Bender, Redondo Beach, CA (US);
Stuart F Bockman, Torrance, CA (US);
Bruce N Eyerly, Torrance, CA (US);
John J Anagnost, Torrance, CA (US);
Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles, CA (US);
Abstract
A multi-loop control system for a gimballed antenna that employs devices for measuring both absolute line-of-sight (an autotrack receiver or beacon tracker) and relative angular position (a resolver). The control system uses both signals simultaneously, thereby increasing the performance and pointing accuracy capability. Two control loops operate simultaneously to provide for optimum performance. The first loop is an inner high-bandwidth control loop that uses the relative gimbal angle measurement to control pointing of the antenna along a precommanded profile. The inner loop may run alone to provide for coarse pointing. When available, the line-of sight measurement is used in a low-bandwidth outer loop to provide corrections to the command profile of the inner loop. Control logic is provided that allows switching between several control modes. By using the present invention, antenna tracking control performance is maximized, especially in the presence of attitude disturbances of a spacecraft or significant flexible interactions.