• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Linear Motion Tips

Covering Linear Motion Systems, Components and Linear Motion Resources

  • New
    • Editor’s blog
    • Industry news
    • Motion Casebook
    • Video
  • Applications
  • Slides + guides
    • Ball + roller guides
    • Track roller (cam + wheel) guides
    • Crossed-roller slides
    • Linear bearings
    • Plastic + composite guides
  • Drives
    • Ball + lead + roller screws
    • Belt + chain drives for linear
    • Rack + pinion sets
  • Actuators
    • Ball + leadscrew driven
    • Belt + chain driven
    • Linear motors
    • Mini + piezo + voice coil
    • Rack + pinion driven
    • Rigid-chain actuators
  • Encoders + sensors (linear) + I/O
  • Stages + gantries
  • Suppliers

What is a gimbal and how is it used?

November 7, 2018 By Danielle Collins Leave a Comment

gimbal
Gimbals are also referred to as “gimbal mounts” because they’re often used for mounting optics or sensors.
Image credit: Newport Corporation

In simple terms, a gimbal is a pivoting platform that allows an object to rotate around one or more axes. They’re often found in photography and videography applications to stabilize cameras, as well as in navigation systems for ships. In these applications, two or more gimbals are mounted together with orthogonal axes (axes mounted 90 degrees to each other), and the supported object remains stationary while the gimbals rotate around it to counter any rolling, pitching, or yawing motions that occur.

In industrial applications, gimbals are typically classified as a type of rotary stage and are also referred to as “gimbal mounts,” since they’re commonly used for mounting mirrors, sensors, or other direction-sensitive equipment. Gimbal axes are driven with servo, stepper, or even piezo or voice coil motors. For precise positioning, they operate in a closed-loop system with a feedback device — typically a high-resolution rotary encoder — on each axis.


Gimbal movements are based on the horizontal coordinates of azimuth and elevation, with some multi-axis gimbal stages also including a third axis whose movement is referred to as roll. Azimuth and elevation are most easily visualized by thinking of an object’s position relative to the horizon, as shown below.

gimbal
Azimuth movements occur around the Z (vertical) axis, and elevation movements occur around the Y axis.

Azimuth is the position around the horizon, measured from a reference point such as true north or true south. Azimuth movements occur around the Z (vertical) axis.

Elevation is the object’s distance above or below the horizon (also referred to as altitude in astronomy and aerospace applications). Elevation movements occur around the Y axis.

Roll movements occur around the X axis as it rotates with the Y and Z axes.

To demonstrate, this video from OES Motion Control shows a three-axis gimbal system with movements in azimuth, elevation, and roll directions.

Note that some manufacturers and reference guides refer to the three axes of a gimbal stage as yaw (rather than azimuth), pitch (rather than elevation), and roll.


Gimbals can be gear-driven or direct-driven and often use radial crossed roller bearings to support the load. Rotation can be specified within a required range for each axis — for example, ± 90 degrees azimuth, ± 45 degrees elevation, and ± 90 degrees roll. When full rotation (360 degrees) is required on any axis, a slip ring can be used to transmit power and data, eliminating complex systems for managing cables as the axis rotates.

gimbal mount
This three-axis gimbal stage uses stepper motors to drive low-backlash worm gears.
Image credit: Optimal Engineering Systems, Inc.

Gear-driven gimbals most often use worm gears with servo or stepper motors. A benefit of gear-driven designs is that the gear helps to mute and dampen the effects of the motor hunting for position due to overshoot or undershoot. Gear-driven designs also have higher load capacities than direct-drive gimbals, but gears introduce backlash to the system, which reduces bi-directional repeatability. This backlash, or play, also makes it difficult for the gimbal to execute quick movements, especially when changing travel direction.

Direct-drive gimbals, which use rotary torque motors, benefit from fewer mechanical connections in the drivetrain, and therefore, less backlash. Although they have lower load capacities, they’re better suited for dynamic movements and rapid changes in the direction of rotation.

Gimbals are common in aerospace and military applications, especially for tracking and communication devices. In industrial settings, two- and three-axis gimbal stages are used for sensor calibration and alignment and for precise angular positioning of optics and lasers.


Feature image credit: Newmark Systems Incorporated

You may also like:

  • goniometer
    What are goniometer stages and where are they used?

  • What’s the difference between serial kinematics and parallel kinematics in…
  • piezo actuators
    Linear motion applications for piezo actuators and piezo motors

  • Multi-axis stages and tables: Manufacturer involvement and software yield turnkey…

  • Gallery: Crossed-roller slide variations and uses

Filed Under: FAQs + basics, Featured, Stages + gantries

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Primary Sidebar

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion
Subscribe Today

RSS Featured White Papers

  • Evaluating actuators for washdown in food & beverage applications
  • Identifying Best-Value Linear Motion Technologies
  • Introduction to accuracy and repeatability in linear motion systems

RSS Motion Control Tips

  • Bush and shaft assemblies feature 4-micron clearance
  • New gearboxes for electric motors in mobile machines
  • Leading motion-control and actuation options for robotics
  • Basics of wave and cycloidal gearing for robotics and servo designs
  • New micro servo-drive system for extra-low-voltage manufacturing applications

Footer

Linear Motion Tips

Design World Network

Design World Online
The Robot Report
Coupling Tips
Motion Control Tips
Bearing Tips
Fastener Engineering

Linear Motion Tips

Subscribe to our newsletter
Advertise with us
Contact us
About us

Follow us on TwitterAdd us on FacebookAdd us on LinkedInAdd us on YouTubeAdd us on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · WTWH Media LLC and its licensors. All rights reserved.
The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media.

Privacy Policy