Active vibration isolation based on model reference adaptive control

High-performance instruments are very sensitive to vibrations and jitters. In this article, a new approach towards multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) active vibration isolation and its application in spacecraft jitter suppression are presented. Model reference adaptive control (MRAC) with acceleration feedback is used to isolate random disturbances. However, a side effect of this algorithm is that displacements at low frequencies are amplified. Thus, the MRAC is augmented with proportional–integral–differential (PID) displacement feedback to suppress vibration displacements. The MRAC-PID composite control is applied to a 4-leg platform to isolate vibrations and suppress tip/tilt jitters. The scheme is also used to isolate 6-DOF vibrations and steer the payload of a flexible spacecraft. Satisfactory performance of vibration isolation and jitter attenuation has been observed.