Estimating Disturbance Torque Effects on the Stability and Control Performance of Two-Axis Gimbal Systems

Introduction. Two-axis gimbal systems are applied for stabilizing and controlling the line of sight (LOS) of an optical or imaging system mounted on a moving vehicle. Gimbal systems are intended to isolate various disturbance torques and control the LOS toward the direction of a target. Two-axis gimbals can be of two main types, namely Yaw-Pitch and Swing-Roll type. In this article, we focus on investigating mathematical models of two-axis gimbals, which describe the impact of cross-disturbance torques on their stability and control performance. Simulations were conducted to compare advantages and disadvantages of the two types of two-axis gimbals.Aim. To study mathematical models describing the impact of cross-disturbance torques on the stability and control performance of two-axis gimbals.Materials and methods. Mathematical models of two-axis gimbal systems were synthesized by the Lagrange method. The operation of two-axis gimbal systems was simulated in the Matlab-Simulink environment. Results. Mathematical models and structural diagrams of the synthesized Yaw-Pitch and Swing-Roll gimbals were obtained. The conducted simulations of typical cases revealed different cross-disturbance effects.Conclusion. Motion equations for Swing-Roll and Yaw-Pitch gimbals were derived using similar methodology. The impact of cross-disturbance torques on gimbal systems was evaluated. The obtained results form a basis for selecting an optimal structure of tracking systems meeting the desired characteristics.