JP5293118B2 - Control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress collision between an outer gimbal and an inner gimbal and variation in a visual line, in a control device for controlling the drive of the inner gimbal and the outer gimbal in a double gimbal mechanism. <P>SOLUTION: The control device for controlling the drive of the double multi-axis gimbal mechanism having the outer gimbal and the inner gimbal includes: an outer control part 60A for controlling the drive of the outer gimbal based on an outer deviation which is a deviation between an outer reference command value from a joystick 51 and an output value of an outer speed sensor 24; an inner control part 70A for controlling the drive of the inner gimbal based on an inner deviation which is a deviation between a center angle command value and an output value of an inner angle sensor 36; and correction means (a different angle command compensator 82 and an adder 83) for reflecting the inner deviation to the outer control part 60A when the outer reference command value is input by steering operation from the joystick 51. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device, and more particularly to a control device that controls driving of an inner gimbal and an outer gimbal in a double gimbal mechanism.

  In general, when an imaging device (hereinafter referred to as a camera) that captures an image is mounted on a moving body such as a flying object, a ship, or a vehicle, it is installed in a space stabilization device called a gimbal. This gimbal is configured such that the camera mounting portion on which the camera is mounted can be controlled to rotate in two orthogonal directions. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the gimbal in response to the vibrations and vibrations of ships, etc., even if there are vibrations and vibrations in the ships etc., it is possible to suppress the occurrence of blurring on the screen imaged by the camera. An image can be generated.

  In recent years, a camera capable of telephoto shooting up to an extremely narrow field of view has been installed, and even in such a captured image with an extremely narrow field of view, the visual axis variation is less than one pixel of the angle of view. Accurate image generation is desired.

  An example of a conventional gimbal is shown in FIG. A gimbal 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an attachment fixing part 2, an AZ axis rotation part 3, an EL axis rotation part 4, and the like. The attachment fixing portion 2 is attached to a platform (fixed base) provided on the moving body, and thereby the gimbal 1 is fixed to the moving body. The AZ axis rotation unit 3 is rotated around the AZ axis by an internal motor. The EL axis rotation unit 4 is rotated around the EL axis by an internal motor. The camera 5 is disposed in the rotating portion 4 around the EL axis.

  There are mainly two modes for performing an imaging process using the camera 5 mounted on the gimbal 1. One of them is a mode in which a supervisor uses a joystick or the like to direct the visual axis of a captured image (camera 5) in an arbitrary direction (hereinafter, this mode is referred to as a manual control mode). The other mode is a mode in which the observer does not perform the visual axis operation (hereinafter, this mode is referred to as a space stability control mode). In this space stability control mode, even if the platform is shaken by the shaking of the moving body, the rotation axis 3 around the AZ axis and the rotation axis 4 around the EL axis 4 so that the visual axis of the camera 5 is always directed in a fixed direction with respect to the space. Drive control is performed.

  However, the gimbal 1 that rotates the EL axis rotation unit 4 on which the camera 5 is mounted about the EL axis and the AZ axis has a limit in the ability to suppress the shaking and vibration on the platform. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, the outer gimbal 11 is provided on the outer side, the inner gimbal 12 is provided on the inner side, and the imaging device mounting portion 17 on which the camera 5 is mounted is provided on the inner gimbal 12. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 1).

  The outer gimbal 11 has an outer AZ axis rotating part 13 that rotates around the AZ axis and an outer EL axis rotating part 14 that rotates around the EL axis. The inner gimbal 12 is held inside the outer gimbal 11. The inner gimbal 12 includes an inner AZ axis rotating part 15 that rotates around the AZ axis, and an inner EL axis rotating part 16 that rotates around the EL axis. Further, a vibration isolator 18 that prevents transmission of vibration is disposed between the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12.

  As described above, the gimbal 10 has a structure in which the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 are overlapped with each other, and the outer gimbal 11 rotates about the AZ axis and the EL axis, and the inner gimbal 12 also has the AZ axis. And rotate around the EL axis. Therefore, the imaging device mounting portion 17 can rotate around multiple axes (hereinafter, the gimbal shown in FIG. 2 is referred to as a double multi-axis gimbal 10).

Further, since the outer gimbal 11 is a mechanism intended to stabilize the space roughly, the visual axis can be directed to a substantially hemispherical space range. On the other hand, the inner gimbal 12 has only to be able to suppress the residual angle that could not be absorbed by the outer gimbal 11, and therefore the operating range is narrow. Therefore, in the double multi-axis gimbal 10, the outer gimbal 11 stabilizes the coarse visual axis against shaking, and the inner gimbal 12 suppresses vibration from the outer gimbal 11 side by the vibration isolator 18. As a result, most of the swinging components and vibrations of the platform are removed by the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12, so that high spatial stabilization of the camera visual axis can be achieved.
JP 2002-369046 A

  As described above, in the double multi-axis gimbal 10, the outer gimbal 11 side mainly focuses on the visual axis in an arbitrary direction and is spatially stabilized so that the visual axis can be directed widely in a substantially hemispherical space range. . On the other hand, the inner gimbal 12 side only needs to be able to suppress the residual angle that cannot be controlled by the outer gimbal 11, so that its operating range is narrow and finite. For this reason, if the inner gimbal side exceeds the movable range, it will collide with the outer side.

  In the double multi-axis gimbal 10, outer control for controlling the driving of the outer gimbal 11 and inner control for controlling the driving of the inner gimbal 12 are performed. This outer control and inner control are fed back to the motors that drive the gimbals 11 and 12 based on the detection results of angular velocity detectors (detecting angular velocities with respect to space) provided separately in each control system. This stabilizes the camera visual axis control.

  However, this angular velocity detector has a performance problem called drift. This drift is a phenomenon in which the visual axis gradually moves even though the speed command for the gimbals 11 and 12 is “0”. The angular velocity detectors referred to by the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 are different, and the drift performance is slightly different. Therefore, an error occurs in the angle with time.

  In addition, due to the difference in control response between the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12, the difference in operating range, the influence of various motions on various detectors, etc., the manual control mode, the space stability control mode, At the time of transition between both control modes, there is a problem that the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 may collide or the visual axis may fluctuate. When the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 frequently collide, the device life of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 is shortened.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a control device capable of suppressing the occurrence of a collision between the outer gimbal and the inner gimbal and a change in the visual axis.

From the first aspect of the present invention, the above problem is
A control device that performs drive control of an outer member that is driven in at least two orthogonal directions and an inner member that is held in the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions in the outer member,
An input unit that generates an outer command value for performing drive control of the outer member based on a reference command value that is input by an operator performing a pointing operation using the visual axis operation unit;
Based on the outer deviation value, which is the deviation between the outer command value generated based on the input reference command value and the output value of the outer detector that detects the state of the outer member, drive control of the outer member is performed. An outer side control unit to perform,
Drive control of the inner member is performed based on an inner deviation value that is a deviation between an inner command value generated based on the reference command value and an output value of an inner detector that detects the state of the inner member. An inner side control unit;
In the manual control mode in which the outer command value is input from the input unit to the outer side control unit by a pointing operation from the visual axis operation means , the inner deviation value is added to the reference command value in the input unit. Accordingly, the inner deviation value is reflected in the outer command value, and the outer side control unit and the inner side control unit are cooperatively controlled so that the outer member faces the center of the inner member ,
It can be solved by a control device having

  According to the control device according to the above disclosure, the inner member can be prevented from colliding with the outer member.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The control device according to the present invention performs drive control of a so-called double multi-axis gimbal. The double multi-axis gimbal includes at least an outer gimbal (outer member) driven in two orthogonal directions, and an inner gimbal (inner member) held in the outer gimbal and driven in at least two orthogonal directions. Member).

  In the following description, the control device that drives and controls the double multi-axis gimbal 10 described above with reference to FIG. 2 will be described as an example. Since the configuration of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 has been described with reference to FIG. 2, the description of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 is omitted here. Further, prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, for the sake of convenience of explanation, reference examples that are helpful in the description of the present embodiment will be described.

[Description of reference example]
3 and 4 are control block diagrams illustrating a control device according to a reference example. The control device of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 usually has a plurality of control modes. As this control mode, there is a manual control mode in which the operator performs an operation of directing the target (visual axis) to the center of the screen using the joystick 51 (input device) while watching the captured video. When the visual axis is directed by the joystick 51, the control mode of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 is the manual control mode.

  Another control mode is a space stability control mode. When the operator removes his / her hand from the joystick 51 and does not perform the visual axis pointing operation, the manual control mode is switched to the space stable control mode. This spatial stability control mode is a control in which the visual axis is always controlled in a fixed direction with respect to space when a disturbance is applied, and the image center is always directed to the same infinity point. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram of the control device in the manual control mode, and FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the control device in the space stable control mode.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the control device in the manual control mode includes an outer control unit 20A, an inner control unit 30A, and an input circuit 50. When the operator operates the joystick 51, an outer reference command value (hereinafter simply referred to as a command value) is input to the first speed command limiter 52. The first speed command limiter 52 generates a speed command value by performing a predetermined restriction process on the input command value.

  The outer control unit 20A that drives and controls the outer gimbal 11 includes a speed loop compensator 21, an amplifier 22 that amplifies the calculated value, an outer motor 23 that drives the outer gimbal 11, and an outer that detects the response speed of the outer gimbal 11. A speed sensor 24, an adder / subtractor 25 for calculating a speed deviation, an outer angle sensor 28 for detecting a response angle of the outer gimbal 11, and the like are provided. A feedback control loop (outer speed control loop) is configured to drive the outer motor 23 so that the speed deviation between the speed command value from the input circuit 50 and the angle detected by the outer speed sensor 24 is reduced. The outer load section is made to follow the command value.

  FIG. 7 is a limit diagram of the first speed command limiter 52. In the drawing, the horizontal axis indicates the response angle of the outer gimbal 11 based on the output from the outer angle sensor 28, and the vertical axis indicates the speed command value output toward the outer control unit 20A. If the command value from the joystick 51 is within the range of the speed command value shown in the figure, the first speed command limiter 52 outputs the input command value as it is to the outer control unit 20A as the speed command value.

  If the command value from the joystick 51 exceeds the speed command value limit value shown in FIG. 7, the speed limit value corresponding to the command value is output as the speed command value in FIG. The reason why the command value from the joystick 51 is limited is that the outer gimbal 11 has a driving range limitation, so if it continues to be driven in the limiting direction, a mechanical stopper (a stopper that prevents excessive rotation of the outer gimbal 11; FIG. 2). (This is not shown). Thus, the speed command value generated by the first speed command limiter 52 is sent to both the outer control unit 20A and the inner control unit 30A.

  Further, in the limiting characteristic shown in FIG. 7, in the positive direction of the outer response angle (rightward direction from 0), the speed command value 2 is gradually decreased to an angle range of the angle + α1 to + α2 where the outer response angle is smaller than the drive limit upper limit angle + α3. A positive command limit variable range is provided. Further, when the angle that is the drive limit when the inner gimbal 12 moves in the positive direction is the drive limit upper limit angle + α3, the outer response angle is in the positive command limit region of + α2 to + α3 that is very close to the drive limit upper limit angle + α3. The speed command value 2 is set to 0.

  Further, in the angular region where the outer response angle is larger than + α3 (including the angle + α4 at which the outer gimbal 11 starts to hit the stopper and the angle + α5 at which the outer gimbal 11 is stopped by the stopper), the speed command value 2 is negative ( It is fixed at a predetermined value on the negative side. As described above, when the first speed command limiter 52 performs the restriction process based on the restriction diagram shown in FIG. 7, the angle exceeds + α1, which is an angle smaller than the angle + α5 at which the outer gimbal 11 is forcibly stopped by the stopper. From the point in time, the movement of the outer gimbal 11 is restricted. The regulation force is a characteristic that the outer response angle gradually increases between + α1 and + α2, so that the movement of the outer gimbal 11 is not stopped suddenly, and a collision occurs while achieving stable visual axis movement. Can be suppressed.

  When the outer response angle of the outer gimbal 11 exceeds + α3, a return command to the drive limit upper limit is issued, and a regulating force in the reverse direction is applied to the outer gimbal 11. For this reason, the outer gimbal 11 is reliably stopped and the collision with the stopper is reliably prevented.

  If the moving direction of the outer gimbal 11 is the negative direction opposite to the positive direction, the plus / minus of the speed command value 2 is reversed, but the speed command value 2 is output with the same characteristics. . Therefore, the restriction diagram shown in FIG. 7 is a point-symmetric restriction diagram with the origin 0 as the center.

  Returning to FIG. 3, the description of the control device will be continued. The inner control unit 30A that drives the inner gimbal 12 includes a speed loop compensator 32, an amplifier 33 that amplifies the processed value, an inner motor 34, an inner speed sensor 35, and an adder / subtractor 38 that calculates a speed deviation. The feedback control loop (inner speed control loop) is configured so that the speed deviation is small. Moreover, the inner load part is made to follow a command value by driving the inner motor 34 in a zone higher than the outer control part 20A side.

  However, the outer speed sensor 24 referred to in the outer control unit 20A and the inner speed sensor 35 referred to in the inner control unit 30A are slightly different in drift and linearity performance. For this reason, in a single speed loop configuration that refers to the inner speed sensor 35, the drive angle deviation between the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 increases with time, and there is a risk of collision if operated for a long time.

Therefore, the inner angle sensor 36 is referred to outside the inner speed control loop and the center angle command value 0 is set as the target value so that the difference angle between the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 becomes smaller on the inner control unit 30A side. Collisions are prevented by configuring an angle control loop. At this time, the output of the inner angle sensor 36 is subtracted from the center angle command value 0 by the adder / subtractor 37, and this value is compensated by the angle loop compensator 32 and sent to the adder / subtractor 38.

  On the other hand, FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the control device in the space stable control mode. In FIG. 4, the same reference numerals are given to the components corresponding to those shown in FIG. 3, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  The outer control unit 20B that drives the outer gimbal 11 in the space stability control mode includes a speed loop compensator 21, an amplifier 22, an outer motor 23, an outer speed sensor 24, an adder / subtractor 25, and the like, similar to the outer control unit 20A. Have. Then, a feedback control loop (outer speed control loop) is configured so that the speed deviation generated by the adder / subtractor 25 is reduced, and the outer motor 23 is driven so that the speed command value is 0 for the outer load portion with respect to the space. It is made to follow so that.

  However, since the outer velocity sensor 24 (detecting the angular velocity with respect to the space) used for feedback has a drift component, the visual axis angle with respect to the space changes with time in the velocity loop unit configuration. Therefore, an angle feedback loop (outer angle control loop) including an angle loop compensator 26, a speed command limiter 27, an outer angle sensor 28, and the like is formed on the outer side, and the view of the space is observed by following the visual axis angle command value. Axial drift change is suppressed.

  On the other hand, the inner control unit 30B that drives the inner gimbal 12 in the space stability control mode also has a speed loop compensator 32, an amplifier 33 that amplifies the processed value, and an inner motor, like the inner control unit 30A. 34, an inner speed sensor 35, an adder / subtractor 38 for calculating a speed deviation, and the like, and a feedback control loop (inner speed control loop) is configured so as to reduce the speed deviation. Then, the inner motor 34 is feedback-controlled so that the speed deviation becomes small, and the speed command value for the space of the inner load portion is made to follow zero.

  However, since the inner speed sensor 35 (detecting the angular velocity with respect to space) used for feedback control has a drift component like the outer control unit 20B, the visual axis angle with respect to the space changes with time in the inner speed control loop alone. . Therefore, an inner angle control loop having an angle loop compensator 31 and an adder / subtractor 37 is formed outside the inner speed control loop, and the change in the visual axis drift with respect to the space is suppressed by following the command value of the center angle 0 degrees. The difference angle between the inner gimbal 12 and the outer gimbal 11 is reduced.

  At this time, the gain of the angle loop compensator 26 of the outer control unit 20B and the gain of the angle loop compensator 31 of the inner control unit 30B are very small to each other, and are values that can correct drift (≈DC component) to the minimum. ing. This is because when the gain of each angle loop compensator 26, 31 is increased, the response band of each speed control loop is affected, and the spatial stability performance of the visual axis deteriorates.

  In the control device according to the reference example described above, the outer control block and the inner control block are configured by independent control loops in the space stable control mode, and are not configured to perform coordinated control with each other. For this reason, in the control device according to the reference example described above, the following inconvenience may occur.

  The following problems may occur in the manual control mode. That is, when the operation of tilting the joystick 51 greatly upward is continuously performed and the visual axis is continuously directed toward the rotation limit position around the EL axis, correction by the inner angle control loop of the inner gimbal 12 is performed. However, the deviation angle cannot be completely absorbed, and the inner gimbal 12 may collide with the outer gimbal 11.

  This is because (1) the range in which the inner gimbal 12 can rotate around the EL axis is finite and the driving range is narrow, (2) the outer speed control loop of the outer control unit 20A, and the inner control unit 30A The response capability of the inner speed control loop is different. (3) The inner speed sensor 35 used in the inner speed control loop is a space sensor, whereas the inner angle sensor 36 used in the inner angle control loop is a platform differential angle control. This is due to the fact that

  Therefore, if the joystick 51 is greatly operated in one direction as described above, the inner angle control loop cannot respond to the anti-sway control, and the inner gimbal is at or near the limit position of the rotation range. 12 collides with the outer gimbal 11.

  In the space stability control mode, the following problems may occur. In other words, in the space stability control mode, when the visual axis is shaken when directed at around EL-90 degrees, it may be necessary to rotate at a large angular velocity in the AZ axis direction in order to stabilize the space. In this case, the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 may collide due to a difference in response performance between the outer speed control loop and the inner speed control loop, a difference in detection capability between the sensors 24, 35, and 36.

  In addition, when the double multi-axis gimbal 10 is mounted on a moving body, an operation check test is performed on the ground. At this time, a navigation pseudo signal (aircraft shake signal) is used as a command value in a state where no actual shake is applied. Applied. However, while the outer control unit 20B uses the navigation pseudo signal and the visual axis angle to follow the angle command value and changes the visual axis, the inner control unit 30B does not actually add fluctuations, so Keep trying to stabilize. For this reason, the correction by the inner angle control loop cannot catch up with the correction of the outer angle control loop, and a collision occurs depending on the shaking application condition.

  Furthermore, the following problems may occur when shifting from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode. Switching from the manual control mode to the space stability control mode is performed when the visual axis drive command value by the joystick 51 is zero. However, when this switching is performed, if the directivity speed is suddenly switched to 0, the gimbal cannot be stopped immediately because the angle loop gain is small, resulting in a large overshoot. Further, as the angle command value, the spatial visual axis angle command value at the moment when the hand is released is reflected, so that the visual axis performs an operation of slowly returning after overshooting.

  As described above, when the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 collide and the outer gimbal 11 overshoots, the image photographed by the camera 5 greatly fluctuates. Further, when the above-described collision occurs, the life of the motors 23 and 34, the amplifiers 22 and 33, the stopper structure, etc. is shortened and the reliability is also lowered.

[Description of Examples]
In the embodiment described below, the inner gimbal and the outer gimbal cooperative control method are provided to suppress the occurrence of collision and overshoot of the double multi-axis gimbal 10.

  5 and 6 are control block diagrams showing a control device that performs drive control of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In addition, about the structure corresponding to the structure of the control apparatus which concerns on the reference example demonstrated using FIG.3 and FIG.4, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted suitably.

  FIG. 5 is a control block diagram in the manual control mode of the control device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a control block diagram in the space stable control mode of the control device in one embodiment of the present invention. .

  First, the control device in the manual control mode will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the control device in the manual control mode includes an outer control unit 60A, an inner control unit 70A, and an input circuit 80. The outer control unit 60A has the same configuration as the outer control unit 20A shown in FIG. For this reason, the description of the outer control unit 60A is omitted.

  The inner control unit 70A is identical to the inner control unit 30A shown in FIG. 3 with respect to the speed loop compensator 32, the amplifier 33, the inner motor 34, the inner speed sensor 35, the inner angle sensor 36, the adder / subtractor 37, and the adder / subtractor 38. It is the same composition. However, the difference is that an arrival determination / mode switch 62, a second angle loop compensator 71, a second angle command limiter 72, an adder 75, and the like are arranged between the adder / subtractor 37 and the adder / subtractor 38. ing.

  Also in the present embodiment, the inner control unit 70A uses a fixed center value of 0 ° as the inner reference command value. The adder / subtracter 37 calculates an inner deviation angle by subtracting the inner angle of the inner gimbal 12 output from the inner angle sensor 36 from the inner reference command value. The inner deviation angle calculated here is sent to the second angle loop compensator 71 and also sent to the adder 83 of the first input circuit 80 via the difference angle command compensator 82.

  The second angle loop compensator 71 performs a process of switching the magnitude of the gain inside the compensator based on the mode switching signal sent from the arrival determination / mode switch 62. That is, in this embodiment, the arrival determination / mode switch 62 determines whether or not the actual visual axis of the camera 5 has reached the target reference command value in the transition period of mode switching due to the operation state of the joystick 51. Then, based on the determination result, the manual control mode and the space stability control mode are switched, and cooperative control of the outer control unit 60A and the inner control unit 70A is performed.

  Further, at the time of switching the control mode, the second angle loop compensator 71 performs a process of switching the gain in the compensator. Conventionally, when the mode is switched, the gain is not switched as in the present embodiment, and the magnitude of the gain is always a constant value.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of the variable gain of the second angle loop compensator 71. In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the inner deviation angle generated by the adder / subtractor 37 (deviation angle of the visual axis angle with the outer gimbal 11 detected by the inner angle sensor 36 with respect to the center angle command value 0 °), and the vertical axis represents the first deviation. The overall gain of the two-angle loop compensator 71 is shown. Here, for convenience of explanation, there are three types of gains set in the second angle loop compensator 71: “small”, “medium”, and “maximum”. However, the type of gain is not limited to this, and can be set as appropriate.

  When the visual axis angle of the camera 5 has not reached the command value based on the determination result of the arrival determination / mode switch 62, the control mode is set to the manual control mode and the gain of the second angle loop compensator 71 is set. Set to “Medium”. When the visual axis angle of the camera 5 reaches the command value, the control mode is set to the space stable control mode and the gain of the second angle loop compensator 71 is set to “small”.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, when the inner deviation angle is between the positive side switching angle and the negative side switching angle, each of the set gains of “maximum”, “medium”, and “small” Apply as is. When the inner deviation angle is larger than the positive side switching angle or smaller than the negative side switching angle in each of the “medium” and “small” setting gains, the setting gain is set to the maximum gain. It is set so as to gradually increase. Thereby, it can suppress that the outer gimbal 11 moves suddenly by gain switching, and can improve stability.

  Next, the arrival determination / mode switch 62 will be described. FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the arrival determination / mode switch 62 used in the present embodiment. The arrival determination / mode switching unit 62 includes a first input port 90, an arrival determination unit 91, a second input port 92, a command generator 93, and the like.

  The absolute value of the outer deviation angle, the absolute value of the inner deviation angle, the outer visual axis angle, and the inner visual axis angle are input to the first input port 90, and these values are sent to the arrival determination device 91. The arrival determination unit 91 refers to each input value to determine whether or not the visual axis of the camera 5 has reached a reference position (for example, a position where the operator has stopped operating the joystick 51).

  Specifically, whether the absolute value of each deviation angle and the absolute value of the inner deviation angle are within predetermined ranges, the outer visual axis angle from the outer angle sensor 28, and the inner visual axis angle from the inner angle sensor 36 Is determined to be within the predetermined visual axis range. If it is determined that it is within the predetermined range, the arrival determiner 91 outputs an arrival flag 94. This arrival flag 94 is also output to the second input port 92.

  The second input port 92 receives the arrival flag 94 from the arrival determination device 91 and also receives an external command. Here, the external command is a command for forcibly switching the control mode by an operation of an operator who operates the double multi-axis gimbal 10. That is, the control device of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 has various control modes (for example, a tracking control mode for tracking a target) in addition to the manual control mode and the space stability control mode. The configuration allows the operator to instruct a specific control mode from the control mode. Therefore, when the operator gives an instruction (command) for switching the control mode from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode, this command is input to the second input port 92.

  When the arrival determination unit 91 determines that the condition for switching the manual control mode to the space stable control mode is satisfied, and when a command for switching the manual control mode to the space stable control mode is input from the outside (this command is referred to as an external command), The command generator 93 outputs a command for switching the manual control mode to the space stable control mode. Therefore, according to the arrival determination / mode switch 62 configured as described above, when the visual axis of the camera 5 has reached the reference position, a command for switching the manual control mode to the space stable control mode and the arrival flag 94 are output. .

  When the second angle loop compensator 71 performs the compensation process for the inner deviation angle, the output from the second angle loop compensator 71 is output from the third speed command limiter 81 described later in the adder 75. It is added to the speed command value 1. The added value is sent to the second angle command limiter 72, and the limiting process is performed.

  FIG. 8 is a limit diagram of the second angle command limiter 72. In the figure, the horizontal axis indicates the response angle of the inner gimbal 12 based on the output from the inner angle sensor 36, and the vertical axis indicates the speed command value 3 output to the adder / subtractor 38. If the value output from the adder 75 is within the range of the speed command value shown in the figure, the second angle command limiter 72 outputs the input value as it is to the speed command value 3 and the adder / subtractor 38. On the other hand, when the value output from the adder 75 exceeds the speed command value limit value shown in FIG. 8, the second angle command limiter 72 sets the speed limit value corresponding to the command value to the speed command value 3. Output as.

  In the limiting characteristic shown in FIG. 8, the angle at which the inner gimbal 12 starts to hit the stopper provided on the outer gimbal 11 in the forward direction is the driving limit upper limit angle + β3. Further, in the positive direction of the inner response angle (in the right direction from 0 in the figure), the positive command limit variable that gradually decreases the speed command value 3 to an angle range of + β1 to + β2 where the inner response angle is smaller than the drive limit upper limit angle + β3. Area 1 is provided.

  Further, in the angle range from + β2 to the drive limit upper limit angle + β3, a positive command limit variable region 2 for gradually increasing the speed command value 3 in the negative direction is provided. Further, in an angle region where the inner response angle is larger than + β3 (including an angle + β4 at which the inner gimbal 11 is stopped by the stopper), the speed command value 3 is fixed to a constant value on the negative side.

  As described above, the second angle command limiter 72 performs the restriction process based on the restriction diagram shown in FIG. 8, whereby the angle + β4 at which the inner gimbal 12 is forcibly stopped by the stopper (in other words, the outer gimbal 11). Restriction is imposed on the movement of the inner gimbal 12 from the time when the angle exceeds + β1, which is a small angle. The regulating force is a characteristic that the inner response angle gradually increases between + β1 and + β2, so that the movement of the inner gimbal 11 is not suddenly stopped, and the outer gimbal is moved while stably moving the visual axis. 11 can be prevented from occurring.

  When the inner response angle of the inner gimbal 12 exceeds + β2, a return command to the drive limit upper limit is issued, and a reverse regulating force (return force) is applied to the inner gimbal 11. At this time, when the inner response angle is in the range of + β2 to + β3, the return force is set to increase gradually. Therefore, in this range, the desire to return to the inner gimbal 12 gradually increases, so that the inner gimbal 12 can be stopped smoothly and stably.

  When the inner response angle exceeds + β3, the speed command value 3 is fixed to a constant value on the negative side, and a strong return force is continuously applied. For this reason, the inner gimbal 11 is reliably stopped, so that the inner gimbal 12 can be reliably prevented from colliding with the outer gimbal 11.

  Further, the difference in limiting characteristics between the first speed command limiter 52 described above with reference to FIG. 7 and the second angle command limiter 72 described with reference to FIG. The positive command control variable position 2 at which the speed command value 3 gradually increases in the negative direction is provided before the positive start angle per stopper + β3 that starts to hit the stopper. This is because the inner gimbal 12 has a narrower movement range than the outer gimbal 11, and thus the inner gimbal 12 is reliably stopped in this narrow range to prevent a collision with the outer gimbal 11.

  In the limit characteristic of the second angle command limiter 72 described above, when the moving direction of the inner gimbal 11 is a negative direction opposite to the positive direction, the speed command value 3 is the same as the characteristic in the positive direction. It is output with characteristics (characteristics in which positive and negative are opposite). Therefore, the restriction diagram shown in FIG. 8 is a point-symmetric restriction diagram with the origin 0 as the center.

  Next, the first input circuit 80 will be described. The first input circuit 80 includes a joystick 51, a first speed command limiter 52, a third speed command limiter 81, a difference angle command compensator 82, an adder 83, and the like. When the operator operates the joystick 51, an outer reference command value (hereinafter simply referred to as a command value) is input to the third speed command limiter 81. The third speed command limiter 81 generates a speed command value 1 by performing a predetermined restriction process on the input command value.

FIG. 9 is a limit diagram of the third speed command limiter 81 . In the figure, hatching indicates the limiting characteristic of the third speed command limiter 81 , and FIG. 9 also illustrates the characteristics of the first speed command limiter 52 previously described with reference to FIG. 7 for convenience of explanation. (Shown in plain). As shown in the figure, the limited area of the third speed command limiter 81 (corresponding to the first limiter recited in the claims) is the first speed command limiter 52 (corresponding to the second limiter recited in the claims). ) Is set narrower than the restricted area.

  The speed command value 1 subjected to the restriction process by the third speed command limiter 81 is output to the adder 83. The adder 83 receives the inner deviation angle from the inner control unit 70 </ b> A via the difference angle command compensator 82. In the difference angle command compensator 82, amplification processing of the inner deviation angle is mainly performed. In this way, since the adder 83 adds the inner deviation angle from the inner control unit 70A, the outer control unit 60A after the adder 83 reflects the inner deviation angle indicating the state of the inner gimbal 12. It becomes.

  Further, as described above, the limit area of the third speed command limiter 81 is set to be narrower than the limit area of the first speed command limiter 52. Therefore, the inner deviation angular velocity reflected in the adder 83 is an area (an angle for preventing collision with the inner gimbal 12) reflected in the speed command value 2 in the difference between the limit areas of the limiters 52 and 81. It is secured. Therefore, the movement control of the inner gimbal 12 can be performed by reflecting the inner deviation angle generated by the inner control unit 70A.

  As described above, when the control mode is the manual control mode in which the outer reference command value is input from the joystick 51 by the pointing operation, the inner deviation angle of the inner gimbal 12 is set as the difference angle command. The compensator 82 and the adder 83 are used to reflect the speed command value 2 input to the outer control unit 60A. As a result, the control device according to the present embodiment can perform cooperative control in which feedback correction is performed from the inner control unit 70 </ b> A to the outer control unit 60 </ b> A side so that the outer gimbal 11 always faces the center of the inner gimbal 12.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, even if a drift occurs in the outer speed sensor 24, the inner speed sensor 35, etc., the effect of the drift of each sensor 24, 35 can be fed back to each control block by the above-described cooperative control. it can. Therefore, the collision problem caused by the structure of the double multi-axis gimbal 10 having the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 can be eliminated without changing the design parameters, and the dual having high space stability performance. The multi-axis gimbal 10 can be realized.

  In the control device according to the present embodiment, the two limiters of the first speed command limiter 52 and the third speed command limiter 81 are used in the manual control mode. Further, by narrowing the control range of the third speed command limiter 81 from the control range of the first speed command limiter 52, it is possible to secure a collision correction area of the inner gimbal 12 within the drive limit range of the outer gimbal 11, and thus the outer gimbal 11 And the inner gimbal 12 can be reliably avoided.

  Next, the control device according to the present embodiment in the space stable control mode will be described. FIG. 6 is a control block diagram of the control device in the space stable control mode. In FIG. 6, components corresponding to those shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 are given the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

  In the control device according to the reference example shown in FIG. 4, the outer control unit 20 </ b> B has a configuration in which an angle command value is directly input to the adder / subtractor 29 in the space stable control mode. On the other hand, the outer control unit 60B according to the present embodiment is provided with an angle command calculator 61 (corresponding to the outer command value generating means described in the claims), and the angle command calculator 61 generates an angle command value. It is configured to do.

  The inner control unit 70B has the same configuration as the inner control unit 70A in the manual control mode, but the arrival flag 94 and the mode switching command generated by the arrival determination / mode switching unit 62 are the second angle. It is also sent to the angle command calculator 61 of the outer controller 60B together with the loop compensator 71.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the angle command calculator 61. The angle command calculator 61 includes an anti-space angle command calculator 97, a static stop time delay processor 98, a switching operation processor 99, and the like. The anti-space angle command calculator 97 refers to the navigation data 95 and the visual axis angle 96 of the camera 5 and performs a visual axis calculation on the space to generate an angle command value.

The arrival flag 94 sent from the arrival determination / mode switch 62 is input to the quiet stop time delay processor 98. The quiet stop time delay processor 98 selectively switches the angle command value generated by the anti-space angle command calculator 97 and the visual axis angle 96 and outputs the result to the adder / subtractor 29. At this time, in a state where the arrival flag 94 is not input from the arrival flag 94, the static stop time delay processor 98 outputs the visual axis angle 96 as an angle command value to the outside. When the arrival flag 94 is input from the arrival flag 94, the quiet stop time delay processor 98 outputs the angle command value calculated by the anti-space angle command calculator 97 to the adder / subtractor 29.

Further, the static stop time delay processor 98, when the arrival we flag 94 is input, not immediately switch the switching operation processor 99, the switching process of the operation processor 99 switches to after have a constant delay time Do. As a result, immediately after the start of switching to the space stability control mode, the angle command calculator 61 outputs the visual axis angle 96 as an angle command value (the deviation is always 0). The delay time provided by the static stop time delay processor 98 functions as a time during which the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 are sufficiently stopped .

  After this delay time has elapsed, the angle command calculator 61 switches the angle command value to an angle command value for stabilizing the visual axis with reference to the navigation data 95 and the visual axis angle 96. By adopting this configuration, it is possible to solve the problem of the overshoot of the visual axis and the angle return that occur when shifting to the space stable control mode. Specifically, when the joystick 51 is greatly tilted and the directing speed is increased to suddenly let go of the operation state and shift to the space stable control mode, the phenomenon that the visual axis returns greatly after overshooting can be eliminated.

  The visual axis angle 96 of the camera 5 is the visual axis angle of the camera 5 when the operator stops the operation of the joystick 51. The visual axis angle 96 is switched together with the anti-space angle command calculator 97. It is sent to the operation processor 99. The navigation data 95 is predetermined attitude angle data of the moving body.

On the other hand, the inner control unit 70B has substantially the same configuration as the inner control unit 70A in the manual control mode shown in FIG. However, a loop for sending the inner deviation angle to the speed control limiter 72 is not provided. As described above, the arrival determination / mode switch 62 is connected to the second angle loop compensator 71 and to the angle command calculator 61 of the outer controller 60B.

  Accordingly, the second angle loop compensator 71 performs a process of switching the magnitude of the gain inside the compensator based on the mode switching signal sent from the arrival determination / mode switch 62 as in the manual control mode. That is, even in the space stability control mode, the arrival determination / mode switch 62 determines whether or not the actual visual axis of the camera 5 has reached the target reference command value in the transition period of mode switching start. The manual control mode and the space stability control mode are switched based on the above, and cooperative control of the outer control unit 60B and the inner control unit 70B is performed.

  The second angle loop compensator 71 also performs a process of switching the gain in the compensator when the control mode is switched. That is, as described above with reference to FIG. 10, three types of gains “small”, “medium”, and “maximum” are set, and the gain is switched based on the determination result of the arrival determination / mode switch 62. Thus, at the time of switching to the space stable control mode, the arrival determination / mode switch 62 always determines the arrival status, and the second angle loop compensator 71 provided on the inner control unit 70B side switches the gain to perform cooperative control. Thus, the response band of the inner angle control loop can be changed smoothly, and the collision between the outer gimbal 11 and the inner gimbal 12 can be avoided smoothly and reliably on the outer control unit 20B side.

  Further, also in the space stability control mode, the speed command value 3 is generated by passing the value generated by the second angle loop compensator 71 through the second angle command limiter 72 referring to the inner angle sensor 36, and this speed Inner speed control is performed using the command value 3. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the inner gimbal 12 from colliding with the outer gimbal 11.

  According to the control device for the double multi-axis gimbal 10 according to the present embodiment described above, in addition to the various effects described above, since the solution means is software, it can be easily customized to other similar systems. And, it has an effect that it is possible to cope with control of various double multi-axis gimbals at low cost without changing hardware.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention described in the claims. It can be modified and changed.

The following additional notes are further disclosed with respect to the embodiment including the above examples.
(Appendix 1)
A control device that performs drive control of an outer member that is driven in at least two orthogonal directions and an inner member that is held in the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions in the outer member,
Based on the outer deviation value, which is the deviation between the outer command value generated based on the input reference command value and the output value of the outer detector that detects the state of the outer member, drive control of the outer member is performed. An outer side control unit to perform,
Drive control of the inner member is performed based on an inner deviation value that is a deviation between an inner command value generated based on the reference command value and an output value of an inner detector that detects the state of the inner member. An inner side control unit;
Correction means for reflecting the inner deviation value in the outer command value when the outer reference command value is input by a pointing operation from the input means;
Control device.
(Appendix 2)
The correction means includes
A first limiter for limiting the reference command value;
An adder for adding the inner deviation value to a first command value output from the first limiter;
A second limiter for limiting the second command value output from the adder,
The control device according to appendix 1, wherein a limit range of the first limiter is set narrower than a limit range of the second limiter.
(Appendix 3)
The outer member is attached to the moving body and driven in at least two orthogonal directions, and the inner member is held in the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions in the outer member. A control device,
An outer-side control unit that performs drive control of the outer member based on an outer deviation value that is a deviation between an outer command value and an output of an outer detector that performs state detection of the outer member;
Drive control of the inner member is performed based on an inner deviation value that is a deviation between an inner reference command value output from the inner reference command value generating means and an output of the inner detector that detects the state of the inner member. An inner side control unit to perform,
When the outer side control unit and the inner side control unit are switched from the manual control mode to the space stability control mode, the outer member and the inner member are based on the absolute value of the outer deviation value and the absolute value of the inner deviation value. Mode switching means for switching from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode when it is determined that the target position has been reached.
Control device.
(Appendix 4)
The outer side control unit has outer command value generation means for generating the outer command value in the space stability control mode,
The outer command value generating means includes:
Based on the movement data of the moving body and the visual axis angle of the outer member, an anti-space angle command calculator that calculates an anti-space angle command value for the space with respect to the space of the visual axis,
A switching processor that selectively outputs the visual axis angle of the outer member and the angle-to-space command value to the outside;
When switching processing from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode by the mode switching means is detected and the mode switching is performed, switching is performed so that the anti-space angle command value is output to the outside after the switching. A delay means for controlling the processor;
The control device according to claim 3.
(Appendix 5)
The control device according to appendix 3 or 4, further comprising a compensator that changes the magnitude of a compensation gain based on the inner deviation value when the manual switching mode is switched from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode by the mode switching unit.
(Appendix 6)
The compensator is
The control device according to appendix 5, wherein the set gain is gradually increased when the inner deviation angle becomes larger than the positive side switching angle and when the inner deviation angle becomes smaller than the negative side switching angle.
(Appendix 7)
The mode switching means is
Any one of appendices 3 to 6 for determining whether the outer member and the inner member have reached a target position based on a deviation determination value that is a deviation between the output of the outer detector and the output of the inner detector The control device according to one item.
(Appendix 8)
The outer member driven in at least two orthogonal axes is a deviation between the outer command value generated based on the input reference command value and the output value of the outer detector for detecting the state of the outer member. Drive control based on a certain outer deviation value,
The inner member that is held by the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions within the outer member is detected based on the inner command value generated based on the reference command value, and the state of the inner member is detected. Drive control based on the inner deviation value, which is the deviation from the output value of the inner detector,
And the control method of the double multi-axis gimbal which correct | amends so that the said inner deviation value is reflected in the said outer command value when the said outer reference command value is input by directing operation from the input means.
(Appendix 9)
When performing correction to reflect the inner deviation value in the outer command value,
The reference command value is limited by a first limiter,
Adding the inner deviation value to the first command value output from the first limiter using an adder;
The second command value output from the adder is limited by the second limiter,
The double multi-axis gimbal control method according to appendix 8, wherein the limit range of the first limiter is set narrower than the limit range of the second limiter.
(Appendix 10)
The outer member that is attached to the moving body and is driven at least in two orthogonal directions is based on an outer deviation value that is a deviation between the outer reference command value and the output of the outer detector that detects the state of the outer member. Drive control,
The inner member that is held by the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions within the outer member, the inner reference command value output from the inner reference command value generating means, and the state detection of the inner member Drive control based on the inner deviation value, which is the deviation from the output of the inner detector
And the space where the reference command value is output from the outer reference command value generating means from the manual control mode in which the reference command value is input by directing operation from the input means. When switching to the stable control mode, it is determined whether the outer member and the inner member have reached the target position based on the absolute value of the outer deviation value and the absolute value of the inner deviation value. A control method of a double multi-axis gimbal that switches from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode.
(Appendix 11)
Based on the movement data of the moving body and the visual axis angle of the outer member, the anti-space angle command value for the space with respect to the space of the visual axis is calculated,
The double multi-axis gimbal control method according to appendix 10, wherein when the manual control mode is switched to the space stable control mode, the anti-space angle command value is output to the outside after the switching.
(Appendix 12)
The double multi-axis gimbal control method according to appendix 10 or 11, wherein when the mode switching means is switched from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode, the magnitude of the compensation gain is changed based on the inner deviation value.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conventional biaxial gimbal. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a double multi-axis gimbal. FIG. 3 is a control block diagram in the manual control mode of the control device as a reference example. FIG. 4 is a control block diagram in the space stable control mode of the control device as a reference example. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram in the manual control mode of the control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a control block diagram in the space stable control mode of the control apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a command limit diagram of the first speed command limiter. FIG. 8 is a command limit diagram of the second angle command limiter. FIG. 9 is a command limit diagram of the third speed command limiter. FIG. 10 is a difference angle tracking variable gain reflection diagram. FIG. 11 is a block diagram of the arrival determination / mode switch. FIG. 12 is a block diagram of the angle command calculator.

Explanation of symbols

10 Double multi-axis gimbal 11 Outer gimbal 12 Inner gimbal 12
13 Outer AZ axis rotation unit 14 Outer EL axis rotation unit 15 Inner AZ axis rotation unit 16 Inner EL axis rotation unit 17 Imaging device mounting unit 18 Vibration isolator 19 Mounting fixing unit 20A, 20B, 60A, 60B Outer control Unit 21 speed loop compensator 22, 33 amplifier 23 outer motor 24 outer speed sensor 25 adder / subtractor 26, 71 angle loop compensator 27 speed command limiter 28 outer angle sensor 29, 37, 38 adder / subtractor 30A, 30B, 70A, 70B inner Control unit 31 Angle loop compensator 32 Speed loop compensator 34 Inner motor 35 Inner speed sensor 36 Inner angle sensor 50, 80 Input circuit 51 Joystick 52, 72, 81 Speed command limiter 61 Angle command calculator 62 Arrival determination / mode switching Vessel 75 , 83 Adder 82 Difference angle command compensator 91 Arrival determination device 93 Command generator 97 Spatial angle command calculator 98 Quiescent time delay processor 99 Switching operation processor

Claims (5)

A control device that performs drive control of an outer member that is driven in at least two orthogonal directions and an inner member that is held in the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions in the outer member,
An input unit that generates an outer command value for performing drive control of the outer member based on a reference command value that is input by an operator performing a pointing operation using the visual axis operation unit;
Based on the outer deviation value, which is the deviation between the outer command value generated based on the input reference command value and the output value of the outer detector that detects the state of the outer member, drive control of the outer member is performed. An outer side control unit to perform,
Drive control of the inner member is performed based on an inner deviation value that is a deviation between an inner command value generated based on the reference command value and an output value of an inner detector that detects the state of the inner member. An inner side control unit;
In the manual control mode in which the outer command value is input from the input unit to the outer side control unit by a pointing operation from the visual axis operation means , the inner deviation value is added to the reference command value in the input unit. Accordingly, the inner deviation value is reflected in the outer command value, and the outer side control unit and the inner side control unit are cooperatively controlled so that the outer member faces the center of the inner member ,
Control device. The correction means includes
A first limiter for limiting the reference command value;
An adder for adding the inner deviation value to a first command value output from the first limiter;
A second limiter for limiting the second command value output from the adder,
2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein a limit range of the first limiter is set narrower than a limit range of the second limiter. The outer member is attached to the moving body and driven in at least two orthogonal directions, and the inner member is held in the outer member and is driven in at least two orthogonal directions in the outer member. A control device,
An outer-side control unit that performs drive control of the outer member based on an outer deviation value that is a deviation between an outer command value and an output of an outer detector that performs state detection of the outer member;
Drive control of the inner member is performed based on an inner deviation value that is a deviation between an inner reference command value output from the inner reference command value generating means and an output of the inner detector that detects the state of the inner member. An inner side control unit to perform,
When the outer side control unit and the inner side control unit are switched from a manual control mode in which an operator performs a direct operation using a visual axis operation means to a space stable control mode in which the visual axis is always controlled in a fixed direction with respect to space And determining whether the outer member and the inner member have reached the target position based on the absolute value of the outer deviation value and the absolute value of the inner deviation value. Mode switching means for switching to the control mode;
Control device. The outer side control unit has outer command value generation means for generating the outer command value in the space stability control mode,
The outer command value generating means includes:
And based on said angle of the visual axis and the movement data of the moving body, to space angle command calculator for calculating a pair spatial angle command value against the space of the visual axis,
A switching processor for selectively outputting the angle of the visual axis and the command value for the space angle to the outside;
When switching processing from the manual control mode to the space stable control mode by the mode switching means is detected and the mode switching is performed, switching is performed so that the anti-space angle command value is output to the outside after the switching. A delay means for controlling the processor;
The control device according to claim 3.   5. The control device according to claim 3, further comprising a compensator that changes a magnitude of a compensation gain based on the inner deviation value when the manual switching mode is switched to the space stable control mode by the mode switching unit.

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