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Mission-critical & mobility

Pan-Tilt and Gimbal Systems

Smooth, precise pointing for cameras, sensors and optical payloads.

  • Typical axes3
  • NetworkEtherCAT · CANopen
  • Control modeCSP · CSV
  • Recommended seriesSDE3 · SML · SDE2 / SD2E2
Start Product Selection See the solution
01
The sector at a glance

Pan-Tilt and Gimbal Systems

Pan-tilt and gimbal systems point electro-optical cameras, thermal sensors and laser rangefinders in two or three axes. Success is vibration-free motion at low speed, high feedback resolution, and a payload that stays at a known position when the system faults.

Three things that decide it on the shop floor

  1. 01

    Jitter at low speed

    In slow tracking, speed-loop tuning decides image jitter.

  2. 02

    Continuous rotation

    Cable and signal routing through the pan axis is designed first.

  3. 03

    Safe state

    On power loss the payload is held on the brake; STO is the drive side.

02
Our advantages

Why SMB TECHNICS?

One set, controller to cable

Controller, drive, motor, cable and connector arrive checked against each other; interface problems are solved at the desk, not on the shop floor.

Open standards

EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU, CODESYS and CiA 402: your machine is not tied to a closed ecosystem.

Engineer-to-engineer support

The same team from sizing to commissioning, on site and remotely.

Documented products

Manuals, CAD, ESI/EDS and firmware in the Document Centre; every product you choose comes with its documents.

Our application know-how for this sector
  • Speed-loop tuning for smooth low-speed tracking
  • Cyclic position reference from the tracking algorithm
  • Cable and signal design through a rotating axis
03
How we build the system

From control chain to commissioning, which product goes where

3.1

The control chain and the recommended products

How the machine is driven and the SMB products we choose for it.

Pan-tilt and gimbal systems point electro-optical cameras, thermal sensors and laser rangefinders in two or three axes. Success is vibration-free motion at low speed, high feedback resolution, and a payload that stays at a known position when the system faults.

In surveillance and tracking, image quality starts with how smoothly the axis turns at its slowest speed.

The control chain

A compact, low-voltage architecture: the pan and tilt axes are driven by 48 V DC SML motors with low-voltage EtherCAT SDE3 drives, or over CANopen with SDE2 / SD2E2. The upper controller runs the tracking algorithm and sends a position reference to the drives every cycle. A BiSS absolute encoder removes the need to home at power-up.

What decides the result

  • Smoothness at low speed. In slow tracking, speed-loop tuning and resolution decide the jitter in the image.
  • Cable routing. On a continuously rotating pan axis, cable and signal routing is designed from the start.
  • A safe state on fault. A braked motor and STO are designed together so the payload does not fall on power loss.

Sizing it

We need the payload inertia and centre of mass, peak angular speed and acceleration, wind load and supply voltage. The sizer confirms the motor.

Select the products for this machine Enter power, torque and network; compare compatible drives and motors and add them to your basket. Selection guide
3.2

The architecture: which product goes where

The boxes show the real products; click one to open the series.

EtherCAT Operator panel HMI-R9 Controller · CODESYS MAT-LC CPU I/O and sensors MAT-LC I/O · PNP / NPN Safe stop STO · brake Supply protection EMI · braking resistor Pan (azimuth) Drive · SDE3 CSP · EtherCAT Motor SML Tilt (elevation) Drive · SDE3 CSP · EtherCAT Motor SML Roll / stabilisation Drive · SDE2 / SD2E2 CSV · CANopen Motor SML
  • EtherCAT
  • Ethernet
  • Power and feedback
  • Safety
Where this machine sits on the full SMB system map
CPU / PLC & Motion Control 3 series Expansion Rack / IO 10 products Ethernet switch Ethernet Operator Panels 3 series Sensors 3 series EtherCAT Servo Drives 17 products CANopen Servo Drives 6 products Modbus RTU Servo Drives 4 products Servo Motors 6 series Power and Encoder Cables 2 series CODESYS IEC 61131-3 PLCopen Motion Control CiA 402 Drive profile
EtherCAT Ethernet CANopen Modbus RTU Digital I/O Power and feedback

CPU / PLC & Motion Control

Expansion Rack / IO

Ethernet switch

The industrial switch distributes Ethernet traffic between the controller, the operator panel and the engineering PC. It is part of the architecture, not part of the SMB catalogue.

Operator Panels

Sensors

EtherCAT Servo Drives

CANopen Servo Drives

Modbus RTU Servo Drives

Servo Motors

Power and Encoder Cables

CODESYS

SMB controllers are programmed in CODESYS: the IEC 61131-3 languages, integrated motion and a single project covering both machine logic and the axes.

PLCopen

PLCopen Motion Control function blocks give every axis the same standard interface, so proven machine code carries over from one project to the next.

CiA 402

SMB servo drives implement the CiA 402 drive profile: the same state machine and the same operating modes over EtherCAT and over CANopen.

3.4

The build, step by step

From requirement to support; the SMB products and tools each step uses.

  1. 1

    Requirements and sizing

    The motion profile, load and cycle time of every axis are collected; torque, speed and inertia ratio are calculated per axis.

    • Peak and RMS torque, top speed
    • Load-to-motor inertia ratio and gearing
    • Supply: 220 V AC, 380 V AC or 24–70 V DC
    Sizer Selection guide
  2. 2

    Architecture and product choice

    The network (EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU), the controller and the drive–motor pair per axis are chosen; the safety and power side is drawn at this step.

    • EtherCAT for synchronised axes, CANopen for independent ones
    • Drive current covers the motor peak current
    • STO and braked motors come from the risk assessment
    MAT-SDE2-LV-7040-CS-C MAT-SDE3-LV-7020-NC-C SDCE0101-H MAT-SML06-JS-D48S30-MT16ST17-040B0
  3. 3

    Cabinet, cabling and EMC

    Power and encoder cables run in separate ducts with their shields bonded 360°; an EMI filter goes at the drive input and a braking resistor where the load regenerates.

    • Flexible cable for the cable chain
    • Shields are earthed at both ends
    • The braking resistor is sized from the braking energy
    Power / Motor Cables Encoder Cables SMKP Power Connectors SMKE Encoder Connectors EMI Filters Braking Resistors
  4. 4

    Software and network

    In the CODESYS project the axes are defined with PLCopen blocks; the drives join the network through their ESI/EDS files and run the CiA 402 state machine.

    • IEC 61131-3 languages and PLCopen Motion Control
    • ESI (EtherCAT) and EDS (CANopen) in the Document Centre
    • EtherCAT coupler for remote I/O
    MAT-LC CodeSys CPU MAT-LC I/O Modules MAT-LC System Modules
    CODESYS FAQ Document centre
  5. 5

    Commissioning and tuning

    After wiring and direction checks the gains are tuned and the axes homed; the operator panel carries the machine recipes.

    • Direction, limit and emergency-stop tests
    • Speed and position loop gain tuning
    • Backing up the parameter sets
    HMI-R9 Series
    Commissioning FAQ Troubleshooting
  6. 6

    Support and lifecycle

    Alarm codes, spare parts, firmware and training, from the same engineering team.

    • Alarm-code and troubleshooting guides
    • Manual, CAD and firmware downloads
    • Remote and on-site support
    Technical support Document centre
3.5

The solution package: what comes with the product

Hardware, software, engineering and lifecycle.

02

Software and know-how

The CODESYS project, PLCopen motion blocks and know-how specific to this machine.

  • Speed-loop tuning for smooth low-speed tracking
  • Cyclic position reference from the tracking algorithm
  • Cable and signal design through a rotating axis
03

Engineering support

Sizing, architecture, commissioning and tuning, on site and remotely.

  • Motor and drive sizing per axis
  • System architecture and network choice
  • Commissioning, gain tuning and homing
04

Lifecycle

Manuals, ESI/EDS files, spare parts and training.

  • Document Centre: manuals, CAD, firmware
  • ESI and EDS files, parameter backups
  • Spare parts and user training
Engineering knowledge base

Commissioning this application

The topics engineers in this industry ask about most, each with answers, checklists and troubleshooting steps.

EtherCAT Servo commissioning & tuning Cables and EMC System design

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