Modeling and Simulation of Two Axes Gimbal Using Fuzzy Control

The application of the guided missile seeker is to provide stability to the sensor's line of sight toward a target by isolating it from the missile motion and vibration. The main objective of this paper is not only to present the physical modeling of two axes gimbal system but also to improve its performance through using fuzzy logic controlling approach. The paper is started by deriving the mathematical model for gimbals motion using Newton's second law, followed by designing the mechanical parts of model using SOLIDWORKS and converted to xml file to connect dc motors and sensors using MATLAB/SimMechanics. Then, a Mamdani-type fuzzy and a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controllers were designed using MATLAB software. The performance of both controllers was evaluated and tested for different types of input shapes. The simulation results showed that self-tuning fuzzy controller provides better performance, since no overshoot, small steady-state error and small settling time compared to PID controller.