A maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimation approach to laser beam control

In laser pointing systems involving Gaussian beams, a symmetrical, rather harsh nonlinearity due to the Gaussian glint sensing process appears in the feedback loop. In the control design, a forced separation approach in which the observer and controller are designed independently is considered. For the observer, the maximum a-posteriori (MAP) estimator criterion is introduced which leads to a nonlinear observer structure. For the controller structure, a multivariable linear time-invariant (LTI) controller is used. An example is presented the design method with simulation illustrating the system performance