Inertial Reference Corrective Approaches to Complementary Antenna Pedestal Gyro Units

Gyros are commonly used to measure the rotation of antenna pedestal platforms to enable very accurate antenna pointing. These gyros need to have very good angular stability and work over uncontrolled platform environment. But gyros currently deployed in this application space lack the needed long term stability and are therefore coupled with expensive inertial navigation system (INS) antenna reference units to compensate. The INS adds complexity and cost to the overall system. SA Photonics is pleased to propose the development of a standalone, low cost, high stability navigation-grade Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG). This gyro is well suited for sensing an antenna’s pointing direction, and it does not rely on other navigation systems to provide signal referencing. We use our low Angular Random Walk (ARW) and low bias drift technologies to achieve outstanding long-term angular stability. BENEFIT: SA Photonics will use technical solutions developed at SA Photonics to produce a standalone, low cost, high stability navigation-grade Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG) for both defense and commercial applications. For defense applications, these systems can be used for measuring the rotation of antenna pedestal platforms, for Missile interceptor programs such as THAAD, Multiple Kill Vehicle and Kinetic Energy Interceptor and for ground vehicle navigation, UAV navigation and control, shipboard applications. For commercial applications, these systems can be used for commercial and private aircraft and ship navigation. With these technologies, the FOG will have the following performance: • High Stability: Angular stability 100°/sec • Low cost relative to other gyros with similar performance