Citation
Abstract
In deep-space optical communications, acquisition, tracking, and pointing are all challenging because of the stringent—on the order of submicroradian—pointing requirement. To achieve this level of pointing accuracy, one must maintain highbandwidth tracking control. Feasible tracking sources (beacons) include uplink laser beams and celestial objects such as the Earth, Moon, and stars. However, these tracking sources do not all provide the kilohertz tracking rate needed for pointing in deep space. One approach to enable a high tracking rate is to augment the tracking loop with inertial sensors to estimate high-frequency beacon movements. In this article, we discuss the use of linear accelerometers, mounted in a configuration to measure angular displacement, to achieve high-bandwidth tracking with dim beacon sources. The advantages of linear accelerometers (or angular accelerometers) are their low cost, high bandwidth, and small size compared with other inertial sensors such as gyros. Simulation and experimental results show good agreement. A tracking bandwidth increase of 11 times is demonstrated.
Keywords
Details
- Volume
- 42-155
- Published
- November 15, 2003
- Pages
- 1–17
- File Size
- 362.3 KB