ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a case study that presents the design of the velocity and position cascade control loops for the azimuth axis of a radio telescope similar to Green Bank Telescope (GBT). Then it analyzes the dynamics of the radio telescope, proposes a set of stability and performance specifications, designs the velocity and position cascade control systems, improves the results with a nonlinear dynamic control (NDC) strategy, and validates them in both frequency and time domains. The chapter presents the design of the position control system of the telescope azimuth-axis servo system, and proposes a solution for the 2DOF controller of the outer loop. It also presents the time-domain simulation of the complete cascade control system, including the velocity controller in the inner loop, and the position controller in the outer loop. It simulates the nominal plants, and includes the velocity limitation of the azimuth axis.
