New ADI IMU Delivers Reliable Precision in Challenging Application Environments
Eletter Product
Falcon is a 6DoF Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), capable of precision measurement of all rotational and linear motion of a platform, even under the harshest and most dynamic conditions. It is the first autonomous grade IMU available in a surface mount package, enabling its use within any land, air, or sea vehicle which can benefit from accurate positioning information.
The device is capable of centimeters level accuracy under high speed, and on rough terrain, when integrated as part of an inertial navigation system, typically in conjunction with GNSS or image based sensors. In such systems, the GNSS and image sensing has typically been the primary navigation tool, with potential navigation gaps when those sensors are blocked or jammed. Falcon’s precision, and its ability to operate completely free of any other infrastructure (i.e.: no satellite as with GNSS, and no image to target as with a camera), allows the system to maintain positioning accuracy on a continuous basis.
As vehicle navigation moves from its current assisted and semi-autonomous state, towards full autonomy, the Falcon IMU is a critical enabler, as gaps in coverage from other guidance sensors can no longer be tolerated. Autonomy is expected to drive a 10X expansion in the vehicle navigation market over the next several years, which is only possible with high accuracy (~1degree per hour stability), in compact and cost-effective form factors. Falcon’s performance equals that of some previous low end Fiber Optic Inertial Systems, which are typically both 100X larger and more expensive.
