Extreme Accuracy Tracking Gimbal for Radome Measurements
Authors: J. Mark Hudgens, George M. Cawthon
Publication: AMTA 2003
Copyright Owner: NSI-MI Technologies
Modern radome measurements often involve scanning the radome in front of its antenna while the antenna is actively tracking an RF signal. Beam deflections caused by the radome are automatically tracked by the antenna and its associated positioning system, which is typically a two-axis (pitch & yaw) gimbal. The motion required to accurately track the beam can be very demanding of the gimbal. High structural stiffness, zero drivetrain backlash, and extremely accurate angle measurement are all necessary qualities for radome beam deflection measurement. This paper describes a new, advanced, two-axis gimbal that embodies those qualities.