The principle of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake

I. Introduction

In today’s digital imaging era, mobile phones have become an important tool for people to record their lives and create content. Whether it is daily casual shooting or professional video creation, the pursuit of shooting picture stability is inseparable. However, when holding a mobile phone to shoot, it is difficult to ensure the smoothness of the picture due to the natural shaking of the human body, which greatly affects the shooting quality. The emergence of mobile phone gimbals provides an effective solution to this problem. It can achieve excellent anti-shake effects through a series of technical means, allowing users to take clear and stable photos and videos. This article will deeply explore the principle of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake, and give a comprehensive and detailed explanation from its basic concepts, development history, working principles to actual effect evaluation.

II. Basic concepts and development history of mobile phone gimbals

(I) Basic concepts

Mobile phone gimbals are a device used to fix and stabilize mobile phones. It uses built-in gyroscopes, accelerometers and other components to monitor the posture and movement status of the mobile phone in real time, and uses the motor drive system to make corresponding adjustments to the mobile phone, thereby offsetting the picture shaking caused by factors such as human body shaking, and ensuring the stability of the shooting picture. Mobile phone gimbals usually have a three-axis stabilization function, that is, they can stabilize the pitch, roll and yaw of the mobile phone respectively, and achieve a full range of anti-shake effects.

(II) Development History

The development of mobile phone gimbals can be traced back to drone gimbal technology. With the rise of multi-rotor aircraft, drone gimbal technology came into being to solve the problem of camera screen shaking caused by posture changes during the flight of drones. Drone gimbals use the principle of gyroscopes for stable flight. When the drone tilts to a certain angle, the gyroscope will sense this change and quickly increase the motor power in the direction of the tilt angle through an algorithm to restore the drone to balance, thereby maintaining the stability of the shooting picture.

With the continuous enhancement of smartphone camera and video functions, people’s demand for the stability of mobile phone shooting pictures is also growing. As a result, drone gimbal technology was transplanted to the field of mobile phone shooting, and portable handheld gimbals came into being. It is like a derivative of drone gimbals, transferring the technology of drone automatic stabilization coordination system to handheld shooting, so that users can also enjoy the stability effect similar to drone gimbals when shooting with mobile phones.

In recent years, mobile phone gimbal technology has been continuously developing and innovating, and major manufacturers have launched mobile phone gimbal products with different features and functions. From the initial simple three-axis stabilization function to the current integration of rich functions such as smart follow, remote control, and multiple shooting modes, mobile phone gimbals have become an indispensable and important device in the field of mobile phone photography and video creation.

III. Working principle of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake

(I) Sensor detection

The mobile phone gimbal integrates high-precision gyroscopes and accelerometers. The gyroscope can detect the angular velocity changes of the mobile phone in three-dimensional space in real time, that is, the rotation speed of the mobile phone in the three directions of pitch, roll and yaw; the accelerometer can detect the acceleration changes of the mobile phone in all directions, including linear acceleration and gravity acceleration. These sensors are like the “eyes” of the mobile phone, which can keenly perceive the slight changes in the posture and movement of the mobile phone.

(II) Algorithm processing

When the sensor detects the posture and movement data of the mobile phone, these data will be transmitted to the processor inside the gimbal. The processor has built-in advanced algorithms, which will analyze and process these data in real time. The algorithm will calculate the angle and force that the phone needs to adjust according to the preset anti-shake strategy to offset the screen offset caused by shaking. For example, when it is detected that the phone has an upward tilt trend in the pitch direction, the algorithm will calculate the corresponding reverse adjustment angle to keep the phone horizontal.

(III) Motor drive

According to the results of the algorithm processing, the gimbal will adjust the phone through the motor drive system. Mobile phone gimbals usually use brushless motors, which have the advantages of fast response speed, high precision and low noise. The motor drive system will accurately control the rotation of the motor according to the instructions calculated by the algorithm, and drive the phone to make fine adjustments in the three directions of pitch, roll and yaw, thereby achieving real-time stable control of the phone’s posture. For example, when the algorithm calculates that the phone needs to be adjusted to a certain angle in the roll direction, the corresponding motor will rotate according to the instructions to restore the phone to a stable position.

(IV) Feedback adjustment

During the entire anti-shake process, the sensor will continuously detect the posture and movement state of the phone and feed the data back to the processor. The processor adjusts the drive of the motor based on the feedback data to form a closed-loop control system. This feedback adjustment mechanism can ensure that the gimbal can always accurately track and offset the shaking of the mobile phone, achieving a more stable and accurate anti-shake effect. For example, if the mobile phone is still found to have a slight shake during the adjustment process, the processor will immediately adjust the output of the motor to further optimize the anti-shake effect.

4. Specific implementation methods of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake technology

(I) Three-axis physical anti-shake

Three-axis physical anti-shake is the most common anti-shake implementation method for mobile phone gimbals. It controls the movement of the mobile phone in three directions, namely pitch, roll and yaw, through three independent motors. When the mobile phone shakes, the three motors work together according to the feedback signal of the sensor to adjust the mobile phone in the opposite direction to offset the shake. This three-axis physical anti-shake method can effectively solve the problem of picture shaking caused by shaking in multiple directions when holding a mobile phone to shoot, and provide a better anti-shake effect. For example, when shooting a video while walking, the mobile phone gimbal with three-axis physical anti-shake can adjust the posture of the mobile phone in real time to keep the captured picture stable and smooth.

(II) Intelligent follow technology

In addition to the basic anti-shake function, many mobile phone gimbals are also equipped with intelligent follow technology. This technology uses the camera on the gimbal or through collaboration with the mobile phone camera to identify and track the shooting target. When the target moves, the gimbal will automatically adjust the direction of the mobile phone to keep the target in the center of the picture. Based on advanced image recognition and algorithm processing, the intelligent follow technology can quickly and accurately identify the target and achieve a smooth follow effect. For example, when shooting sports scenes, the intelligent follow technology allows the gimbal to automatically follow the athletes and capture the wonderful moments without the user manually adjusting the direction of the mobile phone.

(III) Combination of electronic image stabilization and physical image stabilization

Some high-end mobile phone gimbals use a combination of electronic image stabilization and physical image stabilization. Electronic image stabilization mainly processes the shooting picture through software algorithms, and performs operations such as cropping and displacement compensation on the picture to reduce the impact of shaking on the picture. Physical image stabilization adjusts the posture of the mobile phone through the above-mentioned three-axis motor drive system. Combining the two can give full play to their respective advantages and further improve the anti-shake effect. For example, when shooting in a dark environment, electronic image stabilization can make up for the shortcomings of physical image stabilization to a certain extent, optimize the picture through algorithms, and reduce blur and noise caused by shaking.

V. Key components and technical features of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake technology

(I) Key components

1. Gyroscope and accelerometer As mentioned above, gyroscope and accelerometer are the core components of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake. Their quality and precision directly affect the anti-shake performance of the gimbal. High-precision sensors can more accurately detect the posture and movement changes of the mobile phone, providing more reliable data support for algorithm processing. At present, most mobile phone gimbals on the market use MEMS (micro-electromechanical system) gyroscopes and accelerometers. This sensor has the advantages of small size, low power consumption, low cost, etc., and can meet the requirements of the gimbal for accuracy and stability.
2. Motor The motor is the power source for the mobile phone gimbal to achieve posture adjustment. Brushless motors have been widely used in mobile phone gimbals due to their performance advantages. Brushless motors have the characteristics of high speed, fast response speed, high precision, long life, etc., and can accurately control the posture adjustment of the mobile phone. In addition, the drive control technology of the motor is also very important. It can ensure that the motor rotates accurately according to the instructions of the algorithm to achieve a stable anti-shake effect.
3. Processor The processor is the “brain” of the mobile phone gimbal. It is responsible for receiving data from the sensor, running the anti-shake algorithm, and issuing control instructions to the motor. A high-performance processor can quickly process a large amount of data to ensure the real-time and accuracy of the anti-shake algorithm. At the same time, the processor also needs to have the characteristics of low power consumption to extend the battery life of the mobile phone gimbal.

(II) Technical features

1. High-precision mobile phone gimbal anti-shake technology can achieve high-precision posture detection and adjustment. Through high-precision sensors and advanced algorithms, the gimbal can detect tiny posture changes and make timely adjustments to ensure the stability of the shooting picture. For example, when taking macro photos, even if the phone has very slight shaking, the gimbal can respond quickly to keep the picture clear.
2. Quick response When shooting dynamic scenes, the shaking of the phone often occurs instantly, so the gimbal needs to have the ability to respond quickly. The sensor of the mobile phone gimbal can detect the shaking in real time and transmit the data to the processor for processing in a very short time. The processor quickly sends control instructions to the motor, and the motor quickly rotates to adjust the posture of the mobile phone. The whole process is completed in milliseconds, ensuring the continuity and stability of the shooting picture.
3. Strong stability Through the three-axis physical anti-shake and feedback adjustment mechanism, the mobile phone gimbal can maintain a stable anti-shake effect in various complex shooting environments. Whether in dynamic scenes such as walking, running, and sports, or in unstable hand-held conditions, the gimbal can effectively reduce the shaking of the picture, allowing users to take clear and stable photos and videos.

VI. Evaluation of the actual application effect of mobile phone gimbal anti-shake technology

(I) Effects in different shooting scenes

1. Static shooting In static shooting scenes, such as shooting scenery, portraits, etc., the anti-shake function of the mobile phone gimbal can ensure the clarity and stability of the shooting picture. Even if the photographer shakes the phone slightly, the gimbal can adjust in time to avoid blurring the picture caused by shaking. For example, when shooting night scenes, due to the dim light, a longer exposure time is required. At this time, the anti-shake function of the mobile phone gimbal is particularly important. It can ensure that the phone remains stable during the exposure process and take clear and bright night scene photos.