Fundamental Mechanics and Precision Control of Optical Axis Stability and Parallelism in Multi-Sensor Electro-Optical Pods

Z. Huang, S. Chi, L. Zhu

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Fundamental Mechanics and Precision Control of Optical Axis Stability and Parallelism in Multi-Sensor Electro-Optical Pods

Z. Huang, S. Chi, L. Zhu

Abstract

Modern electro-optical pods incorporatemulti-spectral sensors for reconnaissance,

target acquisition, and laser designation, where sub-milliradian

optical axis stability and inter-sensor parallelism are critical for mission

success. This paper establishes a unified theoretical framework combining

rigid-body kinematics and deformable body mechanics to develop a

physics-based stability metric through screw theory formulation, expressing

the optical axis dynamics as ˙O = [ω]×O+v, with thermo-mechanical

constraints [ω]×O < ω, v < v for engineering implementation. A

novel computational geometry method evaluates multi-sensor alignment

errors by solving Ei = si − (si · ˆO)

ˆO

+ JTT + Jgg, where JT and Jg

represent thermal and gravitational Jacobians. The rigid-flexible coupling

model with multi-point constraints (MPC) reveals thermal dominance

(0.49 mrad IR sensor pitch displacement at 60◦C, 272× gravitational

effect), material sensitivity (CTE mismatch contributing 68% of TV sensor’s

azimuthal error), and cross-axis coupling (19% LD error amplification

under thermal gradients). However, due to the limitations of current

experimental conditions, the experimental validation ismainly carried out

in controlled environments. The current experimental validation shows

<5% deviation between predicted andmeasured parallelismerrors across

−20◦C to 60◦C. In the future, we will supplement the evaluation of the

robustness of the control method through existing simulation verifications

(such as adding vibration and temperature disturbance models) in the

“experimental discussion” or “prospect” section, and clarify the research

plan for actual environment testing. The framework provides design

guidelines for optimal sensor placement minimizing JT

F, temperaturedependent

calibration protocols, and 0.1 mrad allocable margin for manufacturing

tolerances. This methodology advances electro-optical system

engineering fromempirical tuning tomodel-driven optimization, demonstrating

0.12 mrad (3σ) stability in field tests under ISO 9022 environmental

stress profiles, with key innovations including the first integration

of Lie algebra kinematics with FEM-based deformation analysis for

optical systems and physics-informed error budgeting separating thermal,

mechanical, and alignment components.

How to cite

Z. Huang, S. Chi and L. Zhu, Fundamental Mechanics and Precision Control of Optical Axis Stability and Parallelism in Multi-Sensor Electro-Optical Pods, Rev. int. métodos numér. cálc. diseño ing. (2025). Vol. 41, (4), 65 URL https://www.scipedia.com/public/Huang_et_al_2025c

Abstract

Modern electro-optical pods incorporate multi-spectral sensors for reconnaissance, target acquisition, and laser designation, where sub-milliradian optical axis stability and inter-sensor parallelism are critical for mission success. This paper establishes a unified theoretical framework combining rigid-body kinematics and deformable body mechanics to develop a physics-based stability metric through screw theory formulation, expressing the optical axis dynamics as ˙O= [ω]

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