A practical Laboratory Method for Obtaining the Pointing Stability of Multi Degrees of Freedom Platforms

Abstract

In this article we propose a new laboratory method for obtaining the pointing stability of a two degrees of freedom gyro stabilized platform by using a three degrees of freedom test platform. Various rated motions were applied through the three degrees of freedom test platform to the gyroscopic stabilizer and the behavior of the stabilizer to these excitations was reproduced on a checker board. Upon completing the test, the pointing stability of the tested gyroscopic stabilizer was obtained using MATLAB and image processing algorithms in terms of degrees. Using this technique yielded a pointing stability of 0.035 degrees on the gyroscopic stabilizer in the worst case where an excitation motion with amplitude 0.093 degrees and frequency 5.7 Hertz was applied. The results were in good agreement with those obtained from simulation in the MATLAB/SIMULINK environments.