Advanced System Dynamics and Controls

A PIGA (Pendulous Integrating Gyroscopic Accelerometer) is a type of robust accelerometer that is about to measure both acceleration and change in velocity using dynamics of pendulous gyroscopes. This device was mainly used in rocket IMU systems, most famously the Saturn V. It has advantages over other accelerometers where, if a proper controller is used to stabilize the pendulum, the change in axial velocity is proportional to the rotation of the system, and therefore the acceleration is proportional to the angular rate. This reduces the drift and noise in the measurements.

The goal of this project was to derive the equations of motion and the dynamics of the PIGA. Then we designed a controller to minimize steady state error based on the system. Additionally, motor dynamics were considered when shaping the controller gains. Finally, a controller was designed to track the Saturn V’s ascent profile without steady-state error. PIGA Analysis.