Antenna stabilizing control system employing strapdown 2 axis azimuth/elevation method for maritime satellite communications

A two axis antenna-stabilizing control device which does not need a level sensor has been developed. The control incorporates a zero servo method which zeros the two gyro outputs by rotating an antenna both with an azimuth motor and an elevation servo motor. This method simplifies control. In addition, the mounts can be miniaturized and made lightweight. By using three accelerometers fitted directly on to the antenna, it is possible to calculate an elevation of the antenna and an inclination correction value around the azimuth axis. In experiments using a Scorsby table, it was confirmed that pointing errors were less than a few degrees. (Author)