Patent ID: 7522102

Claim:
A method for steering an antenna being carried on a mobile platform, where the antenna is able to move independently of movement of the mobile platform, and where the mobile platform includes a central navigation system, said method for steering an antenna comprising: supporting a localized navigation system adjacent the antenna and apart from said central navigation system, such that said localized navigation system moves in accordance with movement of said antenna and independently of motion of said mobile platform; using the localized navigation system to generate a plurality of positional change signals that indicate a change in at least one of a geolocation and an orientation of an antenna, independent of motion of the mobile platform, over a first time period, the positional change signals being generated by a plurality of gyro sensors of the localized navigation system such that the gyro sensors maintain the same geolocation and orientation as the antenna, wherein generating the positional change signals includes; measuring a change in angular rotation of the antenna about each of an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis a predetermined number of times within the first time period, utilizing the gyro sensors; predicting an amount of change in at least one of the geolocation and the orientation of the antenna over a second time period utilizing the predetermined number of measured changes in angular rotation of the antenna within the first time period; and correcting a beam pointing angle of the antenna, based on the predicted amount of change in the at least one of the geolocation and the orientation of the antenna, to compensate for the predicted change in the at least one of the geolocation and the orientation of the antenna.