Model Reference Adaptive Control of a Gimbal System Under Varying Environmental Conditions

Stabilized gimbal systems are now widely used in both civil and military applications for operations, including observation, target tracking, target identification, and communication. As a result, systems with various sizes, inertial, and elastic properties will be expected during their operations. Fixed-coefficient PI/PID controllers, which are only meant for use under normal circumstances, suffer performance loss when faced with various unknowns and/or unknown variables, such as changing payload, disturbance, and shifting dynamics. This work used a Model Reference Adaptive Control - Proportional Integral (MRAC-PI) controller based on Lyapunov rules that can vary with the system and its operational environment for speed control of the gimbal. The controller was tested using sine and step speed commands in various inertial setups, and its stabilization accuracy was also evaluated under external disturbances. It has been noticed that despite system changes and different speed commands, the MRAC-LYAPUNOV-PI controller behaves quite similarly in all situations and continues to function without the need for any adjustments during operation.