Does the north finder only find north？

The commonly used north finding methods include inertial instrument north finding, astronomical observation, geodesy, magnetic north finding, satellite positioning, reference object and so on. However, under the special conditions such as tunnel, underwater and other complex terrain, complex weather and war environment, magnetic north seeking, astronomical observation, geodesy, satellite positioning and reference object method will be restricted to varying degrees, or low accuracy, or simply cannot be implemented. Only the north finder developed by the principle of inertia can complete the north finding task independently without interference from natural conditions or environment, and has the characteristics of long continuous working time and high precision.

In recent years, with the continuous progress of inertial technology, electronic technology and computer technology, as well as the requirement of speed, accuracy and automation level of azimuth measurement, new high-precision automatic north finder successfully developed by various principles and methods continues to emerge. The north finder is an instrument used to quickly determine the geographic north direction. By measuring the value of the earth rotation angular velocity and measuring the carrier tilt with the accelerometer, the carrier azimuth is determined, that is, the Angle between the carrier's reference axis and the true north direction.

1.The development trend of north finder:

From the development history of the north seeker, high precision, small size, light weight, simple operation and maintenance, and high degree of automation are its development direction. Although the traditional gyro north seeker has high precision, it has high cost, large volume, and high precision system with long north seeking time, and low precision system with short north seeking time. So how to solve the contradiction between precision and rapidity has become an important topic in the research of gyro north seeker.

2.Basic functions of the north finder:

With the continuous development of inertial technology, the basic function of north seeker is not only north finding, but also equipped with a solid MEMS gyroscope, accelerometer, data acquisition and processing unit, which can provide true north information of the carrier. At the same time, it can display the posture, position and other information of the carrier. It can be used for engineering projects such as coal mining, oil drilling, tunnel construction and geodetic survey.

（1）Attitude tracking function, he can find north in the inclined state, its significance is not only in the inclined state of accurate north, more importantly, the system aiming and measurement methods brought changes.

（2）Self-alignment function, this kind of north seeker can determine the orientation of its relative geographical coordinate system through its own working principle, which greatly reduces the labor cost and provides a guarantee for the normal operation of the project.

（3）The zero position of all temperature parameters, scale factor, non-orthogonal and acceleration related items are compensated inside the system, which can maintain a high accuracy for a long time. The adaptive algorithm integrated inside the system can ensure the measurement accuracy of the attitude for a long time.

3.Summary

As a gradually mature inertial system, north seeker product launched by Ericco has a unique product advantage. ER-MNS-09 north finder is based on three-axis integrated MEMS gyroscope and three-axis accelerometer to complete the initial alignment, attitude holding function, and real-time output of carrier attitude reference value. If you are interested, feel free to talk to our professionals. There are also cost-effective three-axis MEMS north seeker ER-MNS-05, and the minimum three-axis MEMS north seeker ER-MNS-06 for you to understand.