Control System Development for Small Uav Gimbal Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures

The design process of unmanned ISR systems has typically driven in the direction of increasing system mass to increase stabilization performance and imagery quality. However, through the use of new sensor and processor technology high performance stabilization feedback is being made available for control on new small and low mass stabilized platforms that can be placed on small UAVs. This project develops and implements a LOS stabilization controller design, typically seen on larger gimbals, onto a new small stabilized gimbal, the Tigereye, and demonstrates the application on several small UAV aircraft. The Tigereye gimbal is a new 2lb, 2-axis, gimbal intended to provided high performance closed loop LOS stabilization through the utilization of inertial rate gyro, electronic video stabilization, and host platform state information. Ground and flight tests results of the LOS stabilization controller on the Tigereye gimbal have shown stabilization performance improvements over legacy systems. However, system characteristics identified in testing still limit stabilization performance, these include: host system vibration, gimbal joint friction and backlash, joint actuation compliance, payload CG asymmetry, and gyro noise and drift. The control system design has been highly modularized in anticipation of future algorithm and hardware upgrades to address the remaining issues and extend the system's capabilities. Keywords: Select descriptive keywords and separate terms with a comma and a space. v ACKMOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my friends and colleagues who have helped me along the way in completing my thesis, without these people this project would not have been possible. I'd like to thank my advisor, Dr. Mehiel, for his advice and support in focusing my efforts over the years on what I was trying to solve. I'd like to thank my friends and colleagues at AeroMech Engineering Inc. for providing the resources and drive to develop a new gimbal and giving me the opportunity to develop the control system. To my parents for their support and encouragement when even they were tired of hearing about my thesis. I'd also like to thank my loving wife Krystal, who has supported and driven me to finish.