Control of a large space structure using MMAE/MMAC techniques

The application of moving-bank multiple model adaptive estimation and control (MMAE/MMAC) algorithms to an actual spade structure (Space Integrated Controls Experiment (SPICE)) being examined at Phillips Laboratory at Kirtland AFB, NM, is presented. The structure consists of a large platform and a smaller platform connected by three legs in a tripod fashion. Kalman filtering and LQG (linear system, quadratic cost, Gaussian noise) control techniques are utilized as the primary design tools for the components of the MMAE/MMAC. Implementing a bank of filters or controllers increases the robustness of the algorithms when uncertainties exist in the system model, whereas the moving bank is utilized to reduce the computational load. Several reduced-order models are developed from the truth model using modal analysis and modal cost analysis. The MMAE/MMAC design with a substantially reduced-order filter model provides an excellent method to estimate a wide range of parameter variations and to quell oscillations in the structure.