The impact of dynamic disturbances on the stability of a PID controller in a single-axis gimbal system
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14311/AP.2026.66.0386Keywords:
single-axis gimbal, PID controller stability, dynamic disturbances, angular velocity control, mathematical modelling of gimbalAbstract
This study investigates the influence of dynamic disturbances on the stability performance of a PID controller applied to a single-axis gimbal stabilisation system. The primary objective is to quantitatively evaluate how kinetic disturbances and variations in input angular velocity affect the closed-loop stability, transient response characteristics, and tracking accuracy of the control system. A comprehensive mathematical model of the single-axis gimbal is developed, incorporating the rotational dynamics of the mechanical structure, the electrical and mechanical characteristics of the actuating motor, and the feedback mechanism provided by the gyroscopic sensor. The complete nonlinear model is subsequently linearised for controller design and stability analysis. PID control strategies are implemented and analysed within the MATLAB Simulink simulation environment to assess system behaviour under varying disturbance magnitudes and angular velocity inputs. In order to validate the theoretical findings, experimental studies are conducted on a RoboMaster platform, enabling a comparison between the simulation and real-world performances. Both simulation and experimental results consistently demonstrate that increases in dynamic disturbance amplitudes and reference angular velocities lead to a degradation in stability margins, prolonged settling times, and increased steadystate errors. These effects collectively reduce the precision and robustness of conventional PID-based stabilisation. The results highlight the limitations of classical PID controllers under high-disturbance conditions and provide quantitative insights into disturbance sensitivity of single-axis gimbal systems. This work establishes a foundation for the development of more robust control strategies that aim to improve the stability and disturbance rejection in precision stabilisation applications.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Viet Dung BUI, Martin Macko, Huy Dang Pham, Thuc Dinh Le, Huu Thang Nguyen
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