An improved control technique of a very precise positioning system used in hail suppression systems

A control strategy for positioning systems used in hail suppression is presented in this paper. The proposed position control solution is designed to obtain a precise control of the launch pad position over the azimuth and elevation, resulting in controlling a system with two degrees of freedom. The proposed strategy has been simulated starting from a permanent magnet synchronous motor that was modeled by means of an inversed magnetic model. The control algorithm initially takes into consideration a regulation of the main motor´s electrical quantities: torque, speed and position. Then a mechanical model for the system was developed, accounting for the experimentally determined static torque, total reduction factor (worm gear and launch pad), total inertia and efficiency. The simulation work has been developed in Matlab Simulink, and it considers two different systems, each one formed by one motor, along with it´s worm gear and the corresponding mechanical parts. The simulation results are provided for both positioning systems, for the azimuth and elevation. The obtained results demonstrate that the proposed control solution is able to meet the application requirements and can be implemented with a real-time processor.