Method and system for integrated inertial stabilization mechanism

• US 20080071480A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: American GNC Corporation
• Original Assignee: American GNC Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Ching-Fang
• Granted Patent: US 7,548,835 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/35
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/18 Stabilised platforms, e.g. by gyroscope

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and system for an innovative design of the automatic stabilization and pointing control of a device based on the MEMS technology, which is small enough and has acceptable accuracy to be integrated into many application systems, such as, laser pointing systems, telescopic systems, imaging systems, and optical communication systems. The stabilization mechanism configuration design is based on utilization of AGNC commercial products, the coremicro IMU and the coremicro AHRS/INS/GPS Integration Unit. The coremicro AHRS/INS/GPS Integration Unit is used as the processing platform core for the design of the MEMS coremicro IMU based stabilization mechanism.

Claims

1. A method for Automatic Pointing Stabilization and Aiming Control Device, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving platform rotation commands of a device using a desired pointing direction of said device and a current attitude measurement of said device;

(b) combining said computed platform rotation commands with feedback signals;

(c) computing an automatic stabilization and positioning control signal by a servo controller;

(d) amplifying servo controller signals;

(e) sending said amplified servo controller signals to an actuator;

(f) converting electric signals to torques and said torque exerted on a platform body to eliminate interference to said platform body; and

(g) sensing a motion of said platform body and feedback a sensor signal to said servo controller.

2. The method, as recited in claim 1, in step (d), further comprising the steps of:

(d.1) providing a motor controller circuits module for producing a suite of PWM control pulses according to the data or signals from a platform controller;

(d.2) providing a PWM amplifier to drive a gimbal motor in different operation modes such as forward, backward, brake, lock, etc. wherein said PWM amplifier consists of a set of high speed power semi-conductor switches such as GTR, VMOS, or IGBT, wherein under the control of the pulses from said motor controller circuits, said PWM amplifier generates PWM voltages and currents to said motors, wherein the produced signals control the PWM amplifier; and

(d.3) providing a DC power supply wherein the electric power is from said DC power supply which rectifies AC to produce DC power.

3. The automatic stabilization and pointing control system for a device, comprising:

an integration unit determining current attitude and attitude rate measurements of said device,

a platform controller receiving platform rotation commands of said device using the desired pointing direction of said device and said current attitude measurements of said device; and

an amplifier, which comprises;

a motor controller circuits module producing a suite of PWM control pulses according to the data or signals from said platform controller;

a PWM amplifier to drive a gimbal motor in different operation modes, wherein said produced signals control said PWM amplifier, wherein said PWM amplifier comprises a set of high speed high power semi-conductor switches, wherein under the control of pulses from said motor controller circuits, said PWM amplifier generates PWM voltages and currents to said motors; and

a DC power supply, wherein an electric power is from said DC power supply, which rectifies an AC to produce a DC power.

4. The automatic stabilization and pointing control system, as recited in claim 3, wherein said integration unit is a coremicro AHRS/INS/GPS Integration Unit.

5. The automatic stabilization and pointing control system, wherein said integration unit is embedded in a 2-axis gimbals platform to measure a platform motion with respect to inertial space.