Adaptive bearing friction compensation based on recent knowledge of dynamic friction

Gimbal bearing friction is a major source of stabilization errors for airborne pointing and tracking systems. This paper describes a novel addition to conventional stabilization techniques which has recently been incorporated in such a system to greatly improve stabilization performance. This addition contains a model in system software which predicts realtime friction torque values. This new, dynamic friction model, which is the result of recent investigations into dynamic friction characteristics, is adaptively adjusted into agreement with actual friction behavior by processing inputs from conventional system sensors. Measurements from these sensors cause on-line adjustment of model parameters, resulting in 'adaptive' compensator action. The model's output is used to generate an addition to conventional stabilization subsystem commands. The resulting additional gimbal motor torque is equal and opposed to the actual friction disturbance such that the residual torque, and hence stabilization errors, are a small fraction of those for an uncompensated system. The model-referenced compensator thus operates in a predictive, adaptive, feedforward manner to pre-condition the stabilization subsystem, reducing stabilization errors well below levels which are achievable through conventional feedback operation alone.