Design and development of a two-axis passive line-of-sight stabilization system

Abstract

The line-of-sight (LOS) stabilization system is basically a system that has the capability of maintaining the sightline - for example, of an optical sensor - fixed in inertial space even when the system is subjected to an external vibrational environment. This paper examines and presents the feasibility of using a passive LOS stabilization system to maintain the sightline stability to within 1 mrad when it is subjected to linear and angular vibrations and other disturbances. Equations of motion of the system as well as the vibrational response equations are presented. From these equations, design parameters that affect the vibrational response of the system are established. A prototype of the LOS stabilization system has been built. The pointing stability of this prototype with different values of the design parameters is evaluated and compared with simulation results. Initial test results on the prototype are encouraging, with pointing stability of less than 1 mrad on both axes, which is within the original design objective.