KVH Introduces Plans for Inertial Sensor for Self-Driving Cars
Photo: KVH
Today, KVH Industries has announced that, based on its successes in providing autonomous vehicle prototype programs and a wide range of unmanned applications, it is developing a fiber-optic gyro (FOG)-based, low-cost inertial sensor for self-driving cars. The company also announced that it has introduced a developer’s kit to support integration and testing FOG-based inertial measurement units into driverless cars.
“Extremely precise heading based on fiber-optic gyro technology is absolutely essential for autonomous vehicle performance. This is something we learned from having been involved with more than a dozen driverless car development programs over the years,” says Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s CEO. “What we are seeing how is that each driverless vehicle concept in development around the world is being designed in a unique way. With so many different possibilities, developers can accelerate their progress by working with a proven technology such as KVH’s FOGs and FOG-based IMUs and leveraging our experience to ensure their success.”
The developer’s kit include the interface software and all components needed to immediately connect a KVH FOG or FOG-based IMU to a computer in order to configure, analyze and test the unit.
“The kit is designed to help engineers get up and running in minutes, making it easier to run diagnostics and accelerate their system development,” says Roger Ward, KVH’s director of FOG product development.
FOGs and FOG-based IMUs are the key parts of the sensor mechanisms that are essential for the most precise performance of autonomous cars. For example, FOGs provide precise azimuth measurements that an autonomous car’s logic processing unit and control systems need in order to determine motion through a curve. An IMU — which includes FOGs and accelerometers in one package — does even more, providing highly accurate six-degrees-of-freedom angular rate and acceleration data to precisely track the position and orientation of the car even when GPS is unavailable, thereby aiding the car in staying on course.
“We have successfully produced more than 90,000 fiber-optic gyros for an extensive range of unmanned applications, in part because of our ability to tailor size, performance and cost to meet different design needs,” says Jeff Brunner, KVH’s vice president for FOG operations. “Controlling the entire FOG design and manufacturing process gives us that advantage and makes it possible to produce a low-cost sensor when driverless cars enter full-scale production.”
KVH’s FOGs and FOG-based IMUs are also in use in prototype programs for unmanned underwater vehicle navigation and rail/track geometry measurement systems. Also, KVH’s inertial products have been widely adopted for commercial applications such as land-based street mapping platforms, unmanned aerials systems, camera stabilization systems and remotely operated subsea systems.
“Our IMUs and inertial sensors have already been used in a wide range of products and applications, and we know that it’s just the beginning,” said van Heyningen. “We are thrilled to play a role in these exciting developments and emerging applications that are literally changing every day.”
