Sensor fusion delivers navigation to UAV applications
ProductJanuary 31, 2016
KVH engineers developed the GEO-FOG 3D inertial navigation system (INS), which is based on the company’s Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG)-based 1750 inertial measurement unit (IMU).
KVH engineers developed the GEO-FOG 3D inertial navigation system (INS), which is based on the company’s Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG)-based 1750 inertial measurement unit (IMU). The device has three KVH DSP-1750 gyros and is integrated with three low-noise microelectromechanical system (MEMS) accelerometers, three axes of magnetometers, a pressure sensor, and an option of a single- or dual-antenna global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver. The GEO-FOG 3D INS uses sensor fusion to deliver navigation to applications in unmanned systems on land, sea, and air. The system has performance monitoring and instability protections to ensure stable and reliable data for use in extreme environments.
Engineers designed the embedded GNSS receiver to support all the current and future satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BeiDou. The GEO-FOG 3D north-seeking algorithm runs continuously while the INS is operating, and is not affected by velocity or angular motion. This feature means that the GEO-FOG 3D and GEO-FOG 3D Dual provide accurate heading in environments in which magnetometers and GNSS-heading cannot be used. The embedded Trimble GNSS receiver includes Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) to assess the integrity of satellite signals. The GEO-FOG 3D INS also contains a built-in backup MEMS IMU providing inertial data collection in the event of a primary IMU failure.
