Gimbal stabilizer for cockpit bases of terrain vehicle or combat boat : A proof of concept

Abstract: The purpose of this project was to construct a 2-axis stabilized model platform, as a proof of concept, intended to use for a cockpit base of a terrain vehicle or a combat boat. The stabilization of the platform in the roll and pitch axes is realized using a feedback control system that contains a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller, two DC motors driving the roll and pitch movements, and a 6-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU) measuring the roll and pitch angles. The project started with a study of various stabilized platforms and the theories behind them and a model of the system was created in SimuLink to simulate the system and design the controller. After the simulations where satisfactory a model platform of a scaled-down actual size was constructed. The platform’s frame was printed in a 3D printer. The control system for the platform has been implemented. The PID controller was implemented on the Arduino Mega 2560 development board, and it regulates the pitch and roll movements through two DC motors. The platform’s pitch and roll angles are measured by a 3-axis gyroscope in an IMU sensor (MPU-6050). The measurements are processed by a Kalman filter implemented on the Arduino board to reduce the noise. The Simulink simulation provided a functioning control system. However, the prototype of the implemented model platform does not work with god stability as expected. The reason for this result is mostly due to the unsuccessful construction of the platform frame and the bad choice of motors.