Typical application areas

• In-Vehicle navigation, tracking and guidance

  The most successful applications for MEMS gyros to date are dynamic stability control systems, rollover airbag detection systems, and navigation and emergency response systems for passenger cars.

  Similar solutions with even higher position accuracies, and often with integration to vehicle support systems, are emerging in professional vehicles and machines used for agriculture, construction and lifting purposes. The use of combined GPS and inertial systems make such operations safer, faster, more productive, more accurate and more comfortable with less operator fatigue and failures.

• Unmanned vehicle navigation, tracking and guidance

  Inertial navigation systems are often mandatory for Remote Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and underwater robots. Compared to hydro acoustic position reference systems they offer longer operation distance, possess better autonomous ability (auto heading) and offer higher potential accuracy.

  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) relay on the use of inertial navigation and guidance systems often in combination with GPS reference. Applications include surveying for hot spots in fire-prone areas and national and international (land and sea) border and fence patrol.

• Surveying and accurate positioning

  Modern surveying can benefit from inertial navigation, guidance and pointing in combination with traditional means. Utilizing new advanced technologies improve speed, accuracy and productivity of surveying work. Inertial solutions will, in particular, improve results where complex building structures, moving platforms, bad weather or water disturb the operations.

  Land and subsea drilling benefit from accurate gyros and in particular from north seeking solutions when magnetic technology is insufficient.

• Platform, machine and robotic control

  Gyro sensors are used in all sorts of control systems to meet demanding dynamic operation for seeker stabilization and camera and antenna pointing. An example is a ship rolling and pitching in the sea. Antennas in such applications require gyro stabilization in order to accurately receive or transmit data. Another example is gimbals operation of camera mounts on ships, helicopters or terrain moving vehicles. Balance control is needed for semiautonomous operation of mobile robots and wheelchairs. For robot tools and utility machinery inertial sensors play an important role in the adaptive position control system.

• Critical operations tracking

  During patrol, rescue and firefighting operations the safety and efficiency of the teams rely on accurate information regarding position and movements. The use of inertial tracking and guidance is one of the most robust, independent and ad hoc solutions that exist. Specific information on each member's (person or vehicle) location and specific movements can be sent from the inertial system by RF means to a base station laptop or information system. During such conditions GPS can only be used for reference purposes due to GPS coverage uncertainty, extreme dust or weather conditions, indoors operation, under water operations or down hole operations.

• Aerospace

  All planes and helicopters need a navigation system and most of these require one or more gyro sensors. The use of MEMS precision technology can make such systems cheaper, smaller, lighter and more reliable. Examples of use are in Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) and Air Data and Attitude and Heading Reference System (ADAHRS). Inertial data from such systems are used in primary and secondary flight displays, flight system controls and antenna stabilization controls.

  A secondary application is platform and gimbals stabilization of cameras, lasers and systems for aerial surveillance, mapping and patrol. In some cases such systems are coupled with an external GPS and the INS system will then provide complete attitude and heading information undertaking target geo-location and geo-pointing operations during flight.

• Maritime

  The ability to position a marine structure or vessel can be compromised by everything from waves, wind and water depth/heave to working at night or in foggy conditions. A dynamic position control system with integrated gyro sensors will improve the accuracy and capability of such systems.

  For similar reasons, satellite antennas, cameras and survey instruments used under maritime conditions, need platform and gimbals controls.

  For underwater operations and ROV maneuvering, inertial navigation and guidance systems play an important role complimentary to acoustical methods. For autonomous submarines inertial based systems is mandatory.

• Defence

  Two key emerging defense-related applications for gyros are munitions and unmanned (land and aerial) vehicles. When performance permits, precision MEMS gyro solutions will be the enabling and preferred choice due to superior capability in respect to robustness, reliability, size/weight, power and cost; compared to solutions based on RLG or FOG technologies.

  Inertial navigation systems, often coupled with GPS, provide accurate, jam-resistant guidance for artillery shells, bombs, missiles and torpedoes.

  Gyros and IMUs based on MEMS technology are small, light and affordable solutions for seeker, antenna and gun/turret stabilization.