Development of an Integrative Pointing Gimbal Mechanism for Space Application

This paper summarizes the development of an integrative pointing gimbal mechanism (IPGM) for space application, such as the directional antenna, the space manipulator, the mobile camera, and other pointing mechanisms. Different from the traditional gimbal mechanisms, the two drive units of this pointing gimbal mechanism are integrated into a compact package, so the mass, the inertia, and the volume can be much smaller. And without the connecting part between the two axes, the stiffness of this IPGM is bigger under the same output ability, which offers better dynamic performance and control law. The key part of the IPGM is also analyzed by numerical calculation, so as to ensure the reliable running of the shafting under the space environments. To assess its capabilities, the qualification environment testing including the thermal cycling testing and the sinusoidal vibration were carried out. The testing results show that the performance of the IPGM is almost the same between the former and the end of each testing.