Wide and fine pointing mechanism with flexible supports for optical intersatellite communications

Kazuhiko Aoki; Hidehiko Kuroda; Satoshi Yashima; Akinori Satoh

doi:10.1117/12.346184

26 April 1999 Wide and fine pointing mechanism with flexible supports for optical intersatellite communications

Kazuhiko Aoki, Hidehiko Kuroda, Satoshi Yashima, Akinori Satoh

Proceedings Volume 3615, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XI; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.346184
Event: Optoelectronics '99 - Integrated Optoelectronic Devices, 1999, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

A wide and fine pointing mechanism (WFPM) composed of electromagnetic actuators and flexible supports has been developed for optical inter-satellite communications. It covers the whole of the scan area when it searches for the target satellite. The electromagnetic actuators, which consist of four moving-coil-type motors with long strokes, ensure a wide scan range. The flexible supports, which consist of a metal pivot and four thin springs, have vertical stiffness and rotational flexibility. Balancing the elasticity between the pivot and the thin springs fixes the center of rotation on the mirror surface to keep the beam path length constant. A digital control system is designed to drive the WFPM with gap sensor feedback. It has a two-degrees-of-freedom robust controller that incorporates a disturbance cancellation algorithm that cuts off low-frequency vibrations from the satellite body to achieve highly precise tracking. Experiments show that the WFPM has both a wide scanning range of over 8 degrees and a highly precise pointing capability that is accurate to within 30 microradians, for the case when only gap sensor feedback is used without quadrant detector feedback. These characteristics are suitable for high-speed switching over target satellites.

Citation Download Citation

Kazuhiko Aoki, Hidehiko Kuroda, Satoshi Yashima, and Akinori Satoh "Wide and fine pointing mechanism with flexible supports for optical intersatellite communications", Proc. SPIE 3615, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XI, (26 April 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.346184

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