Development of a 2 degrees of freedom tracking system. Part III: system modeling

The problem of tracking moving objects using a moving camera in real time is a complex one which requires a highly stable platform and a robust control algorithm. This paper is a continuation of our previous papers in which we discussed the design and digital control routine of a 2DOF stable platform with coupled joint. In the previous paper we implemented a non-model based PI controller that proved sufficient for static targets, however for image based tracking, a number of non-linear forces are affecting the system and such scenarios require model-based controllers. The design of model based controller starts with model selection and then the estimation of its parameters. In this paper we deal with the modeling and parameters estimation of a 2 DOF platform using the least squares method.