Improving navigation and reliability in autonomous machines

9th November 2017

Analog Devices

Lanna Deamer

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A series of five high performance Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) have been announced by Analog Devices (ADI) that address the navigation and safety-related needs of industrial applications in several emerging markets, while also reducing their system complexity and cost. The ADIS16470, ADIS16475 and ADIS16477 IMUs deliver performance improvements in smallest size with standard surface mount assembly.

The three different models are optimised to provide a range of performance, cost, and application-suitability needs. The ADIS16465 and ADIS16467 IMUs offer similar performance advantages in a more ruggedised enclosure option.

Together, these product advancements bring a previously unavailable performance-for-cost ratio to Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) applications where designers have previously struggled with costly, risky, and sub-par performance solutions from integrating consumer grade sensors, which also fell short of reliability goals.

These new IMUs bring the same benefits to Autonomous Machine applications in fields such as Smart Agriculture where the demands of such rugged equipment previously forced a choice between cost-challenged, highest-grade sensors or performance-limited commercial sensors.

All of the IMUs provide six Degree-of-Freedom (DoF) sensing via triple-axis MEMS-based accelerometers and gyroscopes, and are focused on the demands of the Industrial 'Internet of Moving Things' and its need for precise geolocation.

Their performance allows systems to characterise motion accurately despite turbulence, vibration, wind, temperature, and other environmental disturbances, resulting in more-accurate navigation and guidance, and/or instrument stabilisation.

Leveraging three decades of experience in inertial sensor design, Analog Devices has engineered an unparalleled combination of reliable high performance, and size/cost effectiveness.

With performance, system designers are now able to rely more heavily on these high-grade sensors versus a previous need to attempt performance boosting via added test, components, calibration, or software aids.

The ADIS1646x and ADIS1647x IMUs are specifically designed to reject what are otherwise significant error sources, such as ‘g’-influence, cross-axis sensitivity, and temperature and mechanical stress related drifts.

The new IMUs are supported by the EVAL-ADIS2Z, a PC-based tool for evaluation which enables basic demonstration, individual register access, and high speed data capture, as well as the breakout boards that simplify connecting ADIS16xxx IMU products to development platforms.