Overview
iXblue has designed a safety inertial navigation system (INS) dedicated to launchers, used in Ariane 5 since 2020 and in Ariane 6. It is based on iXblue Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology and on iXblue vibrating accelerometers technology.
One of the key elements of this INS is its ability to resist vibrations and shock while maintaining performance during take-off and jettisoning . In addition, it withstands vacuum and important temperature variations. The project for launcher demonstrates the robustness and the precision of the FOG technology.
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Specifications
Main features
- 3 accelerometers, 3 fiber optic gyroscopes, 1 GNSS receiver
- Dedicated algorithm to hybridize all the sensors and to offer reliable and precise position during take-off
- Full performances under vibrations (27grms random and 20g sin), shocks, in vacuum and at very high speeds (up to 10 000 m/s)
- Already in use in Ariane 5
Main performance
| INS FOR LAUNCHER | |
| PERFORMANCES | |
| FOG ARW | 0.03 °/√h |
| FOG bias stability at 12 months @ 3s | 0.1°/h |
| FOG scale factor at 12 months @ 3s | 300 ppm |
| Accelerometer bias at 12 months | 0.001 g peak |
| Accelerometer scale factor at 12 months | 300 ppm peak |
| Accelerometer range | ± 50g |
| GNSS | Galileo. GPS. Glonass. BeiDou… |
| Position precision (for all environments and speeds) | below 20 m |
| Alignement duration static | below 30 minutes |
| Bandwidth | up to 100 Hz |
| ENVIRONMENT | |
| Temperature (full performances) | '0°C to 50°C |
| Vibration (full performances) | 22g sin and 27 g rms random |
| Shock (full performances) | Up to 5 000 g up to 25 kHz |
| Vacuum (full performances) | withstands space vacuum |
| MECHANICAL INTERFACE | |
| Mass | 3.85 kg |
| Volume | HLW = 157 mm x 334 mm x 184 mm |
| ELECTRICAL INTERFACE | |
| Power bus | 20 V to 34 V |
| Communication |
RS 232 and RS422 |
| Power | 18 W |