Multivariable H∞ Controller Design and Testing for a 2.4m Telescope

This paper considers high performance motion control systems for the Azimuth axis of a 2.4m Altitude-Azimuth telescope manufactured by Telescope Technologies Limited (TTL). Tracking performance is paramount and the telescope is designed to operate with no surrounding enclosure; wind disturbances that could degrade the tracking performance are a major consideration. Previous robust control designs have used a single-input-single-output (SISO) architecture for position tracking, and this paper will assess the stability and performance of a multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) controller using simulations and test data from the real telescope. Simulations indicate that the MIMO design offers better wind disturbance rejection, and the test data show that the implementation of a MIMO control architecture is feasible. Copyright 2005 IFAC