Design of a reduced–order H∞ controller for smart structure satellite applications

In this paper, the design of a low–order controller for a high–order, smart–structural system is presented. The application considered here is a model of a solar panel dynamically similar to those used on satellites. Smart structure refers here to the use of integrated piezoceramic materials as sensors and actuators in the structural system in order to implement the control. The analytical contribution is made by extending the well–known robust control theory by relating the high–frequency robustness condition to the residual uncertainty, removing a trial–and–error step in the normal robust–control design. The procedure is applied experimentally to a half–metre long frame that is coupled in bending and torsion, verifying that the technique is viable for a reasonably complex structure.