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Friction-induced sightline jitter significantly degrades the image resolution and detection range of a stabilised optical system. Therefore, any controller that can reduce jitter levels in the stabilisation sub-system will have a significant impact on overall electro-optic system performance. This article presents the results of an investigation into several friction compensation models applied to the validated model of an in-service electro-optic turret. The turret test harness, system identification software and friction measurement techniques used in the validation procedure-experimental transfer function analysis-are presented. A worstcase approach was used in setting the sensor noise and base motion acceleration levels. This test data was then used to validate a mathematical model of the turret elevation axis for use in off-line design and tuning of six friction compensation controllers. Three types of friction compensator model were investigated; a linear Kalman filter, an extended Kalman filter with a static friction model and an extended Kalman filter using a dynamic friction model. Additionally, two controller architectures were used. All six controllers were shown to significantly reduce jitter levels overall, but a new controller architecture was shown to also further reduce image degradation due to smearing.

Air-coupled ultrasonic capacitance transducers operating at frequencies of up to 1 MHz have been employed in a fan-beam configuration for the cross-sectional tomographic imaging of temperature fields and flow fields in air, and the location of solid objects. Separate transmitter and receiver transducers were manufactured using thin polymer dielectric membranes and polished metal backplates, and used to acquire through-transmission data. The fan-beam reconstruction was developed in LabVIEW â using a re-bin routine combined with a filtered backprojection algorithm and a difference technique to generate the cross-sectional images. The system was first used to reconstruct images showing the locations of solid objects positioned within the scanned region through interpretation of the arrival time of the transmitted ultrasound. The technique was then extended to image the temperature fields produced in air above a small heat source and the flow field produced by a nozzle connected to a regulated compressed air source. Reconstructed temperatures were within 4% of the measured background air temperature and 9% of the air temperature measured above the heat source. Reconstructed images of the flow field above a small nozzle were also presented, showing that the horizontal component of the flow velocity could be resolved using this method. Ó