Line-of-sight stabilization of a gimbaled mechanism under passive base isolation

Line-of-sight stabilization is an important concept for aerospace applications utilizing gimbaled imaging systems. A widely used method for protecting the line-of-sight stabilization system from the disturbing effects of the base vibrations is to mount it on passive vibration isolators. However, these isolators may interact with gimbal controller and drastically limit the stabilization performance. This work deals with line-of-sight stabilization problem in aerospace structures by focusing on the parameters of controller and vibration isolation system. The problem is investigated on an experimental setup for a specific case. Several performance tests are applied on the setup and a relation between isolation parameters and controller bandwidth is obtained. The results are used to generate design constraints.