Adaptive compensation for pointing and tracking systems applications

Tracking a target from a dynamic platform (i.e. aircraft, ground vehicle) requires a servo architecture that includes an outer track loop and an inner rate loop that stabilizes the line of sight (LOS). This paper focuses on the rate loop design and the effects of friction and cable restraint on it's performance. Adaptive friction and feedback compensators are designed to improve tracking performance. The adaptive feedback compensator is tuned so that the gimbal response follows that of a reference model.