Adaptive correction of periodic errors improves telescope performance

As a further step to improve the tracking performance of telescopes, the intrinsic errors in the drive systems are analyzed. These errors fall into two categories, torque disturbances and sensor errors and they have different impact on the performance. Models for the errors are developed and algorithms for online adaptive parameter identification are presented. The models can be used to significantly improve tracking precision and to monitor friction and unbalance of the elevation axis. The software is designed to allow for the adaptation of the process coefficients, or for the off-line modeling based on recorded process data. Finally, real test data are presented.