Advanced Sensors & Calibration (ASC) has announced the introduction of a new range of industrial-grade micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) inertial measurement units (IMU), ASC IMU 7.X.Y.
It is a miniature six-axis analog output sensor featuring the latest generation of MEMS vibrating ring gyros and high-precision MEMS accelerometers. The IMU is targeted at low-cost navigation-aiding and pointing systems found in industrial, agriculture and automotive markets, among others.
"With our newest products we offer our clients high-precision sensors for very special applications. ASC IMU 7.X.Y offers not just an excellent price-performance ratio but is also lightweight, compact and provides an extended selection of measurement ranges, both for acceleration and rotation rates. Moreover, users can choose either the ASC LN (low-noise) series or the ASC medium-frequency (MF) series accelerometers, thus customising the IMU to meet their individual application requirements," states Renate Bay, managing partner of ASC.
ASC IMU 7.X.Y can be customised with accelerometers from ±2g to ±50g and gyros from ±75°/s to ±900°/s. The IMU can be powered by a 5VDC to 40VDC power supply where the output voltage is independent of the supply. This mini-IMU is protected by lightweight anodised aluminium housing and features the industry-standard 12-pin connector with a detachable cable. The IMU is rated to IP65 and works from -40°C to 85°C.
ASC’s IMU 7.X.Y has excellent temperature stability, low noise and immunity to mechanical shocks, all of which are vital, for instance in precision agricultural applications involving moving heavy machinery over undulating terrain or in applications that are size and weight-constrained and require a small IMU to secure operations during GPS outage.
The new IMUs are especially suitable for testing applications. In the marine area they are used on ship models to simulate wave-induced motions in launch tests from platforms where heavy shocks are involved. During dynamic testing applications in the automotive sector, the IMU provides short-term orientation measurement to keep the car moving on a digital map when the GPS signal is lost, for example in tunnels.
Features include:
- Six-axis mini IMU
- Acceleration range: ±2g to ±50g
- Rotation range: ±75°/s to ±900°/s
- Typical spectral noise (accelerometer): 10 µg/√Hz
- Bias instability (Gyro): 9°/hr
- Shock limit: 500g (operational); 2,000g (survival)
- Weight: 26g
Typical applications for the IMU include:
- Precision agriculture
- Marine
- Navigation system aids (dead reckoning)
- Industrial and robotics
- Sports and biomechanics (motion capture)
- Platform stabilisation