Robust Positioning of Laser Beams Using Proportional Integral Derivative and Based Observer-Feedback Control

High-precision positioning of laser beams has been a great challenge in industry due to inevitable existence of noise and disturbance. The work presented in this study addresses this problem by employing two different control strategies: Proportional Integral Derivative (PID) control and state feedback control with an observer. The control strategies are intended to stabilize the position of a laser beam on a Position Sensing Device (PSD) located on a Laser Beam Stabilization (or, laser beam system) system. The laser beam system consists of a laser source, a Fast Steering Mirror (FSM), a PSD and a vibrating platform to generate active disturbance. The traditional PID controller is widely used in industry due to its satisfactory performance, various available tuning methods and relatively straightforward design processes. However, design of filters to obtain the derivative signal is challenging and can unexpectedly distort the dynamics of the system being controlled. As an alternative, use of an Observer-Based State Feedback (OBSF) method is proposed and implemented. The state-space model of the laser beam system is utilized and an observer is applied to estimate the state of the system, since all the state variables cannot be measured directly. For observer design, eigenvalue assignment and optimal design methods are used and compared in terms of system performance. Also a comparative analysis between the PID and OBSF controllers is provided. Simulations and experimental results show that the OBSF controller rejects disturbance better and has a simpler design procedure.