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This project
uses the TI-MP430f149, MEMS inertial and magnetic sensors, and
a GPS receiver as a general purpose guidance ‘engine’ for military
and commercial applications. MEMS inertial sensors (accelerometers
and angular rate sensors) have seen rapid advances in the last
few years, driven by the commercial market, which is primarily
automotive, and the military market. With support from the Army
through the SBIR (Small Business Innovative Research) program,
we started building a very low cost IMU (Inertial Measurement
Unit) with commercial grade MEMS sensors and a microcontroller.
Traditional
IMU’s with spinning wheel or laser gyros typically cost at least
$20,000. The strapdown IMU task is to digitize the analog output
of the sensors, apply calibration factors, and integrate once
to provide change in angle and change in velocity (D
Q ,D
V) of the platform over a very precise time interval, typically
100 Hz. These measurements are used by other avionics modules
to navigate the airplane or missile. We then realized that the
chosen TI-MP430 had enough integrated peripherals for the entire
guidance task. This guidance engine can steer a missile, UAV,
or guided bullet to any point in space.
Block Diagram
Tom
Hynes & Jim Hynes
California, USA
TomHynes@pacbell.net
jhynes@socal.rr.com
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