10-DoF MEMS IMU With Tactical Grade Performance in Severe Environments

Today Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) released their third generation iSensor^® MEMS IMU (inertial measurement unit), the ADIS16488. It is a tactical grade 10-degree-of-freedom (DoF) sensor and integrates a tri-axis gyroscope, tri-axis accelerometer, tri-axis magnetometer and a pressure sensor into a single package. This new MEMS IMU provides the most stable and complete integrated sensor suite available, supporting mission critical requirements in high-performance navigation and stabilization applications.

Beyond the important tactical grade (below 10^o/hr) bias stability, the ADIS16488 outperforms all other contemporary gyro/IMU offerings on the often more critical specifications of g-effect, temperature coefficient, and bandwidth by up to 100X. Further, the new iSensor MEMS IMU even outperforms legacy military grade IMUs on vibration rectification and linearity. Every device undergoes unique and extensive factory calibration, resulting in unparalleled precision in the toughest environments and and greatly reduces complexity, time, cost, and design risk relative to typical motion sensor development.

“For industrial, military, and medical equipment designers who require the most accurate detection and control of motion in order to stabilize or navigate their applications, the ADIS16488 tactical grade IMU offers performance levels previously only available to those with unlimited budgets,” said Bob Scannell, iSensor business development manager, MEMS/Sensors Technology Group, Analog Devices. “With equal or better performance to legacy high-end IMUs on key measures such as bias stability and angular random walk, the ADIS16488 provides better performance on the often more critical parameters of vibration-rectification, linearity, and bandwidth while consuming one-quarter the power, and at one-tenth the cost.”

More About the ADIS16488 iSensor 10-DoF MEMS IMU

The ADIS16488 iSensor 10-DoF MEMS IMU is a complete inertial measurement system that combines ADI’s high performance iMEMS^®technology and sensor-signal processing expertise to optimize the IMU’s 10-DoF dynamic performance. Operation is fully autonomous, including all embedded compensations, with valid data available from the SPI interface 500 ms after applying power. With all calibration done at the factory, and with an ADI Blackfin^® processor-powered configurable interface for tuning embedded filtering and other diagnostics, a major source of design integration time and risk is virtually eliminated.

ADIS16488 iSensor 10-DoF MEMS IMU Key Specifications

• Gyro bias in-run stability: 6^o/hr
• Gyro dynamic range: 450°/s
• Gyro angular random walk: 0.3 deg/rt-hr
• Gyro noise : 0.005 ^o/sec/√Hz rms
• Non-linearity: 0.01 %
• Bias temperature coefficient: 0.0025^o/s/^oC
• Sensitivity temperature coefficient: 35 ppm/^oC
• Accelerometer in-run stability:100 micro-g
• Accelerometer dynamic range: ±18g
• X/Y/Z alignment accuracy: 0.05^o
• Bandwidth: 330Hz
• Magnetometer dynamic range +/- 3.5 gauss
• Barometer dynamic range 10 to 1200 mbar

Analog Devices, Inc.
http://www.analog.com/ADIS16488

PCB Piezotronics Announces New Test and Measurement Catalog

Company announces North American Electromechanical NC Joining Modules

Kistler Instrument Corporation, a supplier of precision sensors, systems, and instrumentation for the dynamic measurement of pressure, force, torque, and acceleration, announced the debut of the NCFT Type 2157A series, an electromechanical servo press family offering reliability force displacement monitoring within assembly, joining and other single-channel control applications.

The low-maintenance design of the series incorporates an integral piezoelectric dual range tension/compression force sensor and charge amplifier in a robust housing, allowing modules to offer high-velocity travel, precision joining, and process monitoring in ranges of 0.25 kN to 1 kN with practical repeatability of <0.005 mm. Modules offer active compensation of process compression for exact positioning, while providing for up to 15x overload capability. They can be installed vertically or horizontally via wall or flange mount. An absolute encoder is integrated into the electrically commutated AC servo drive motor for precise positioning, eliminating the need for reference point determination. The servo controller provides a constant speed independent of load. Standard functions like block, position and force feedback, controlled pressing and intermediate positioning are fully supported.

A typical joining system consists of the press module and one of several different models of the Kistler process evaluation controllers, which allow for parameter setup, evaluation and reporting of the assembly process.  The Kistler evaluation system takes sensor data and converts into force-displacement measurement curves, displayed in graphical format, while continuously evaluating all process phases via its programmable tolerance windows. A Fieldbus interface and Ethernet connection are standard for PLC communication and quality assurance data output in CSV, txt, I-P.M. or Q-DAS format. Positioning and joining criteria may be edited via menu-driven parameters within the device unit, eliminating the need for an external PC or special software. Process tooling may also be installed on the ram.