Active shape control of an antenna reflector using piezoelectric actuators

The surface precision of an antenna reflector can be improved using the actuation of piezoelectric materials to obtain a high-performance space antenna. In this study, the active shape control of a reflector with piezoceramic (lead zirconate titanate) actuators assembled on ribs is proposed by theoretical and experimental approaches. A finite element model of the integrated reflector–actuator system is established using piezoelectric constitutive equations and the virtual work’s principle. For a desired shape, a closed-loop iterative shape control method based on the influence coefficient matrix model is developed, which resolves the issue of high-precision shape control of the antenna reflector in the presence of model errors. The shape controller based on the proposed closed-loop shape control method is implemented on a planar hexagonal reflector with 30 lead zirconate titanate actuators. Experimental results demonstrate that the closed-loop control is an effective way to improve the surface precision of the reflector considering uncertainties.