Handling Disturbance in Optical Beam Alignment Using the MPC Approach

Optical systems, such as a mobile LiDAR system, encounter mechanical disturbances associated with the condition of the road, resulting in significant misalignments in the optical paths within the system. To address this issue, considerable time is dedicated to the realignment process to restart the system. A suggested approach to overcome this challenge involves the implementation of automatic realignment through the control of the motion of the steering mirrors using an advanced control technique known as Model Predictive Control (MPC). This technique, which is relatively new in the field of optics, is widely utilized in the industry due to its capability to manage and resolve a broad range of problems that are inherent to industrial systems, particularly, those that are subject to constraints or undergo disturbances during operation. In this study, we utilize MPC on the optical chain, specifically the LiDAR component, to regulate the beam and promptly rectify any flexure that occurs during both constant and variable trajectories, as well as in the presence of disturbances. A comparative analysis is conducted with the PID controller to evaluate the performance of the advanced technique proposed.