Patent ID: 7298342

Claim:
An antenna positioner system for positioning an antenna to track a moving object, the antenna positioner system comprising: an azimuth drive assembly configured to impart azimuthal rotational motion to the antenna about an azimuth axis; an X-axis drive assembly configured to impart rotational motion to the antenna about a horizontal X-axis orthogonal to the azimuth axis; a Y-axis drive assembly configured to impart rotational motion to the antenna about a Y-axis orthogonal to both the X-axis and the azimuth axis; and a controller configured to control operation of the azimuth drive assembly, the X-axis drive assembly, and the Y-axis drive assembly so as to optimize tracking velocity and acceleration; wherein the azimuth axis, the X-axis, and the Y-axis all intersect at an intersection point; wherein each one of the azimuth drive assembly, the X-axis drive assembly, and the Y-axis drive assembly includes a motion encoder and one or more drive trains and; wherein each drive train includes a servo motor with a servo controller that implements an internal position control loop.