Honeywell gun-hard inertial measurement unit (IMU) development

Honeywell has designed and manufactured a gun-hard IMU that provides the baseline for meeting the needs of DoD guided tactical munitions, as well as being a platform for commercial usage. The gun-hard IMU is a solid-state inertial sensor package that measures and provides inertial angular rates and linear accelerations in a body-mounted strap-down mechanization. Its compensated outputs include summed and incremental angle and velocity data for inertial guidance, as well as angular rates and linear accelerations for autopilot/control functions. The data are reported in user-defined coordinates at 600 Hz and 100 Hz (typically) through a digital serial interface bus. The unit contains three Honeywell MEMS silicon gyroscopes, three Honeywell MEMS silicon accelerometers, as well as the electronics and software necessary to implement the requirements of the tactical market. The Honeywell gun-hard IMU development team includes multiple Honeywell sites and Draper Laboratories. In 2003, Honeywell demonstrated IMU survival and performance above 10,000 g's. In 2004, Honeywell will produce and deliver an IMU that will survive and perform at 20,000 g's. In addition to providing gun-hard survivability and high performance, Honeywell will capitalize on its extensive production experience to ensure a device that is cost effective for Honeywell customers.