Inertial solutions for Advanced Air Mobility
Inertial navigation solutions play a crucial role in enabling AAM operations. eVTOLs require precise navigation data to perform complex maneuvers in congested airspace, navigate in GNSS-denied environments, and ensure passenger safety. Our Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and Inertial navigation systems (INS) provide continuous and accurate positioning, velocity, and orientation data, even in the absence of external signals like GNSS.
This is particularly critical in urban environments where GNSS signals can be unreliable or completely blocked by tall buildings and other infrastructure.
We designed our solutions to meet the stringent requirements of AAM applications by delivering accurate navigation data in real-time. By combining accelerometers, gyroscopes, and advanced sensor fusion algorithms, our sensors offer unparalleled accuracy and reliability, ensuring that AAM vehicles can navigate safely and efficiently in complex environments.
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The challenges of Advanced Air Mobility
The AAM industry faces several unique challenges that require advanced inertial solutions such as Precise Navigation in Urban Environments, VTOL Maneuvers and Hovering Stability, High Reliability and Redundancy for Safety, Operating in Harsh Environmental Conditions and Integration with Other Navigation Systems.
For eVTOL aircraft, which must take off, hover, and land vertically, precise control of orientation and velocity is crucial. Our motion solutions offer real-time data on roll, pitch, yaw, and velocity, ensuring stable hovering and smooth transitions between flight modes.
Our INS are well suited for conducting every engineering and test phases of the design lifecycle of an eVTOL or as secondary units in systems architecture where functional safety is a requirement.
A reduced size, weight, and power consumption
AAM vehicles often have strict size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints, making it essential to use compact and lightweight components.
Our MEMS-based inertial solutions are designed to meet these constraints, offering high-performance navigation in a compact form factor that minimizes weight and power consumption. This is particularly important for eVTOL platforms, where each gram of weight impacts flight efficiency and range.
The high reliability and built-in redundancy of our sensors further ensure that AAM vehicles can operate safely, even in the event of system failures or external signal loss.
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Solutions for Advanced Air Mobility
Our products, engineered with cutting-edge inertial sensors and GNSS technology, ensure seamless and accurate navigation for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles. From urban air taxis to drone deliveries, our systems offer unmatched precision and real-time positioning for autonomous air vehicles, ensuring optimal performance in complex urban environments.
Pulse-40
Quanta Micro
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Do you have questions?
Welcome to our FAQ section! Here, you’ll find answers to the most frequent questions about the applications we highlight. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, feel free to contact us directly!
What is the difference between IMU and INS?
The difference between an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and an Inertial Navigation System (INS) lies in their functionality and complexity.
An IMU (inertial measuring unit) provides raw data on the vehicle’s linear acceleration and angular velocity, measured by accelerometers and gyroscopes. It supplies information on roll, pitch, yaw, and motion, but does not compute position or navigation data. The IMU is specifically designed to relay essential data about movement and orientation for external processing to determine position or velocity.
On the other hand, an INS (inertial navigation system) combines IMU data with advanced algorithms to calculate a vehicle’s position, velocity, and orientation over time. It incorporates navigation algorithms like Kalman filtering for sensor fusion and integration. An INS supplies real-time navigation data, including position, velocity, and orientation, without relying on external positioning systems like GNSS.
This navigation system is typically utilized in applications that require comprehensive navigation solutions, particularly in GNSS-denied environments, such as military UAVs, ships, and submarines.
What does VTOL stands for?
VTOL stands for Vertical Take-Off and Landing. It refers to aircraft that can take off, hover, and land vertically, similar to helicopters.
VTOL technology allows for more versatile operations in constrained environments, such as urban areas, where traditional runways may not be available. This capability is essential for various applications, including advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air transportation.
What is GNSS vs GPS?
GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System and GPS for Global Positioning System. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different concepts within satellite-based navigation systems.
GNSS is a collective term for all satellite navigation systems, while GPS refers specifically to the U.S. system. It includes multiple systems that provide more comprehensive global coverage, while GPS is just one of those systems.
You get improved accuracy and reliability with GNSS, by integrating data from multiple systems, whereas GPS alone might have limitations depending on satellite availability and environmental conditions.
GNSS represents the broader category of satellite navigation systems, including GPS and other systems, while GPS is a specific GNSS developed by the United States.
