Variable speed control moment gyros (VSCMGs) distinguish themselves from the conventional CMGs by having extra degrees of freedom to control the wheel spin in addition to the gimbal angles. Thus, they can be adopted to achieve additional objectives, such as energy storage, as well as attitude control. VSCMGs are ideal for integrated power and attitude control systems (IPACS). The gimbal rates o...

A novel, four degrees of freedom, low-cost device for tracking minimally invasive surgical instruments (MIS) in training setups was developed. This device consists of a gimbal mechanism with three optical computer mouse sensors. The gimbal guides the MIS instrument, while optical sensors measure the movements of the instrument. To test the feasibility of using optical mouse sensors to track MIS...

Original scientific paper Control Moment Gyroscope is one of the main sources of disturbance affecting the accuracy of attitude control system in the spacecraft. This paper concentrates on analysing and testing the micro-vibrations produced by CMG. To analyse its disturbance features systematically, the mechanical features of flywheel, frame and the entire CMG will be firstly studied, and then ...

Ross-Hime Designs, Inc. presents the results of its research and development of “Low Cost Light-Weight Seeker Gimbals.” The Super Seeker, a patent-pending gimbal design, offers a swiveling yoke design lower in cost than current gimbal designs and weighing significantly less than traditional gimbal systems while enabling a doubling of the sensor’s surface area. The swiveling yoke design has buil...