Micro Instrument Laboratories has developed the first inertial module as a measurement tool

The developer and manufacturer of scientific and technical products in the field of inertial micro-mechanics "Laboratory Mikropriborov" presented GKV-10 - the first inertial module based on MEMS, which received the status of "measuring instrument".

"Since October 2019, the GKV-10 inertial module is a standardized device based on MEMS, whose technical parameters have been confirmed not only by Rosstandart, but also by a third-party metrology service. Therefore, a whole range of new applications for this module as a measuring instrument has been opened. It should be noted that GKV-10 is the first inertial module based on MEMS, which received the status of "measuring instrument", - said the company representative.

About the device

In 2015, "Laboratory Microdevices" developed its first inertial module of wide consumption GKV-10, which is designed to measure inertial influences and calculate orientation, and built-in navigation algorithms allow using the module in stabilization and monitoring systems of spatial orientation of objects, calculate the true course and coordinates (when connecting an external GNSS receiver), including the loss of signals from the GNSS receiver (implementation of autonomous navigation).

The inertial module consists of a triad of MEMS angular velocity sensors, a triad of MEMS accelerometers, a high-performance calculator, a magnetometer and necessary peripherals, - this allows to produce a highly accurate solution for issuing inertial data and navigation parameters in case GNSS is connected.

In 2018, Microdevice Lab was faced with the fact that consumers of GKV-10 inertial modules were interested in having MEMS-based sensors included in the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology (Rosstandart) list of "types of measuring instruments". This procedure is required to ensure the uniformity of measurements and control over the technical parameters of the device.

To confirm the technical parameters guaranteed by the manufacturer it was necessary to perform an independent test cycle on the premises of a third party legal entity accredited in the field of measurement uniformity assurance. The tests of the GCV-10 carried out on the territory of the All-Russian Research Institute for Metrological Service (FGUP "VNIIMS"), confirmed the declared characteristics. Test results obtained allowed entering the GKV-10 inertial module into the State Register of Measuring Instruments (Order No.2344 dated 04.10.2019).

Module application

One of the newest applications of the GKV-10 module is metrology, certification and testing. The sensor can now be used as an accurate reference for metrological testing. At the moment, the sensor is of interest to companies that perform licensing of inertial turntables and moving equipment for children's playgrounds. The module is also of interest for conducting tests on the stability of mechanical impacts for trucking and other.

Another popular application of the standardized GKV-10 module is its joint use with a GNSS receiver for positioning of unmanned vehicles. In 2018, to boost development in the field of unmanned transport, the Skolkovo Foundation and Russian Venture Company (RVC) initiated the Winter City technology competition, in which teams from MADI, NSTU, BaseTrack, StarLine and Auto-RTC took part. The event participants were tasked with developing an unmanned vehicle capable of moving autonomously during the winter season and at different times of the day in urban infrastructure conditions.

The inertial module GKV-10 of Micropribor Laboratories was used as the orientation and navigation system for the unmanned vehicle. Two unmanned vehicles (MADI and NSTU) participated in the qualifying heats of the unmanned vehicle competition, with LMP and residents of Technopolis Moscow SEZ taking an active part in creating the positioning system. Both cars made it to the finals of the Winter City competition. According to the developers, good results were achieved thanks to the hardware and software solutions of Laboratory of Microdevices.

The teams did not manage to overcome the technological barrier in the final race of the competition, but the test results showed that the Russian technologies have all the prospects for competition in the market of drones. For this reason, Micropribor Laboratory continues to actively develop its inertial navigation systems and carry out their certification.

Export

"Micropribor Laboratories can supply GKV-10 inertial navigation modules with the existing verification certificate to Belarus and Kazakhstan, since the Russian certificates for the products are valid in those countries. This opportunity will expand the markets for the company's modules and will simplify the export procedure for deliveries to the European Union, since the inertial module is now a measuring device.

In addition, Laboratory Mikropribor plans to expand the list of standardizable devices of its production and is actively working in this direction.