A Novel Method for Detecting the Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Angular Displacement of a Spherical Pair, Based on a Capacitive Sensor

The spherical pair has an important role in the inner frame of the stabilization mechanism of the aviation optoelectronic pod. However, its two-degrees-of-freedom (2-DOF) angular displacement signal is difficult to detect, seriously restricting its application in aviation optoelectronic pods. Therefore, this study proposes a new method to measure a spherical pair’s 2-DOF angular displacement using a spherical capacitive sensor. The capacitive sensor presented by this method realizes the measurement of the 2-DOF angular displacement of the spherical pair by integrating the spherical electrode groups in the ball head and the ball socket of the spherical pair. First, based on the geometric structure of the spherical pair, the structure of the capacitive sensor is designed, and the mathematical model for the capacitive sensor is deduced. Then, the sensor’s output capacitance, in different directions, is simulated by Ansoft Maxwell software. Finally, an experiment device is built for the measurement experiments. The simulation analysis and experimental results show that the spherical capacitive sensor has an approximately linear output in different directions, and the measured output capacitance is as high as 89.7% of the theoretical value. Compared with the existing sensors that measure the 2-DOF angular displacement signal of the ball pair, the sensor proposed in this study has an integrated structure, which can be integrated into the spherical pair. That makes it possible to apply the spherical pair to the inner frame of the aviation optoelectronic pod