Camera drones use a gimbal to orient the camera in the desired direction and to compensate aircraft movement in flight. The gimbal contributes a significant amount to the weight of the drone. As EU regulations impose limits on the weight of drones, there is a need for novel ways to reduce aircraft weight. Previous work proposed a novel concept for a lightweight SMA-actuated camera gimbal. This study investigates the performance of a first gimbal prototype and ways to improve its shortcomings. The prototype gimbal successfully demon-strated that the requirements regarding angular range and velocity can be met. The weight of the prototype (including camera dummy) was only 2.25 g. However, the stress in the SMA wires was significantly higher than expected, and the 3D printed flexures exhibited issues with high damping, longevity, and buckling. The SMA actuator unit was redesigned by incorporating steel flexures in a pull arrangement. A scaled functional prototype of the actuator unit verified that the above issues are solved, paving the way for a new gimbal prototype at the target size.


    Access

    Access via TIB

    Check availability in my library

    Order at Subito €


    Export, share and cite



    Title :

    Performance Optimization of an SMA-Actuated Camera Gimbal


    Contributors:

    Conference:

    ACTUATOR 2024 - International Conference and Exhibition on New Actuator Systems and Applications ; 2024 ; Wiesbaden, Germany ACTUATOR 2024 - International Conference and Exhibition on New Actuator Systems and Applications, Wiesbaden, Germany, 13.06.2024-14.06.2024


    Published in:

    Publication date :

    2024-01-01


    Size :

    4 pages



    Type of media :

    Conference paper


    Type of material :

    Electronic Resource


    Language :

    English



    CAMERA GIMBAL

    KANG YOON-SEOK / PARK SUNGJIN / LIM BAESEOK | European Patent Office | 2017

    Free access

    GIMBAL, GIMBAL CAMERA, AND AERIAL VEHICLE

    TIAN HE / YU SHICHAO / GUO SHANGUANG et al. | European Patent Office | 2025

    Free access

    Camera gimbal

    KANG YOON-SEOK / PARK SUNGJIN / LIM BAESEOK | European Patent Office | 2018

    Free access

    SMALL CAMERA GIMBAL

    KANG YOON SEOK / PARK SUNG JIN / LIM BAE SEOK | European Patent Office | 2017

    Free access

    GIMBAL, GIMBAL CAMERA AND UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE

    TIAN HE / YU SHICHAO / GUO SHANGUANG et al. | European Patent Office | 2024

    Free access