Do You Know the FOG North Finder?

North Seeker is a kind of compass, which is used to find the true north direction value of a certain position. Gyro north seeker, also known as gyro compass, is an inertial measurement system that uses the gyro principle to measure the projection direction of the earth's rotation rate in the local horizontal plane (that is, the true north position). Its north seeking process does not need external reference. Except for the limitation of high latitude, its north seeking measurement is not affected by weather, day and night time, geomagnetic field and site intervisibility conditions. Gyro north finder is a kind of precision inertial measurement instrument, which is usually used to provide azimuth reference for mobile weapon systems such as artillery, surface to surface missile and ground radar.

Fiber optic gyroscope north finder is a high-precision inertial instrument that can indicate the azimuth independently. It can give the angle between the carrier and the true north direction without inputting the latitude value. The included angle between the base line of the carrier and the true north direction can be obtained by using the earth rotation rate measured by the optical fiber gyroscope and the angle between the gyroscope and the horizontal plane measured by the accelerometer. The attitude angle of the north finder can be measured by the accelerometer placed on the base line.

The fiber optic gyroscope used in the fiber optic gyroscope north finder is a solid-state device, which has no rotating part, so it can withstand impact and vibration. This is impossible for other non fiber optic gyroscopes.

Fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) north finder has simple structure and excellent performance, especially it can resist impact and various harsh environments. When the turntable is horizontal, it can give the angle between the carrier and the true north direction without inputting the latitude value. In the case that the turntable is not strictly horizontal, the included angle between the baseline of the carrier and the true north direction can also be obtained by using the earth rotation rate measured by the fiber-optic gyroscope and the angle between the gyroscope and the horizontal plane measured by the accelerometer. At the same time, the accelerometer can also measure the attitude angle of the north finder. The ER-NFS-03 is a low-cost 3-axis FOG north finder with a north finding accuracy of 0.25° to 1°secψ and a course measurement range of 0° to 360°.

Micromechanical gyroscope is a kind of high-tech products, is one of the most important branches in the field of contemporary micromechanical electronic systems (MEMS), it is based on micromachining manufacturing technology production, is also one of the emerging products in the field of inertia in recent years. MEMS gyro north finder is a north finding instrument based on MEMS technology that can be used to measure the azimuth and angular velocity of an object. It is mainly composed of inertial sensors, signal processors and power supplies, and determines the azimuth Angle of an object by measuring its angular velocity. The mems gyro north finder contains a miniature gyroscope and accelerometer inside. By measuring the angular speed of an object around three axes, a miniature gyroscope can determine the azimuth of an object. The accelerometer is used to compensate for the effect of gravity on the gyroscope measurement. It is the development direction of future inertial measurement components, with low cost, micro-size, medium accuracy, high overload resistance, low power consumption and high reliability. In the military field, attitude measurement system and inertial navigation system have been applied, in the civilian field can be used for robots, satellites, photography, aircraft, automobiles, medical equipment, toys attitude measurement and orientation. Because the price is very low, it is one of the representatives of new MEMS products at home and abroad, suitable for mass production. The three-axis MEMS north finder with the smallest size of ER-MNS-06 is only 44.84×38.88×21.39mm, weighs 60g, and has a north finding accuracy of 0.25°~1°secψ.It can meet the limitations of space size on the carrier platform.

Ericco provides north finding system solution, we have fog and MEMS north seeker, If you have any needs, please feel free to contact us.