Tracking Apparatus
Self-contained apparatus that tracks the position and orientation of a vehicle by integrating data from accelerometers and gyroscopes. This inertial navigation system operates without the need for external references such as satellites or radio beacons. The apparatus continuously calculates velocity and displacement by applying the laws of classical mechanics to the measured forces.
Sensor Integration
Core components include a set of sensors and a high-speed digital processor. Inside an inertial navigation system, the data streams from the various sensors are combined to provide a full picture of the movement of the platform. This fusion of data allows the system to maintain a continuous track even during rapid maneuvers or signal outages.
Error Accumulation
Integration of sensor noise and bias leads to a gradual increase in the position error over time. Every inertial navigation system suffers from drift, which is the divergence of the calculated path from the actual trajectory. To mitigate this effect, high-performance systems use precision sensors with low noise floors and stable calibration coefficients.
The mathematical modeling of these errors within a filter allows for partial compensation but can never eliminate the drift entirely.
Redundancy Strategy
Multiple units are often used in safety-critical applications to provide fault tolerance. An inertial navigation system may be paired with other sensors to periodically reset the accumulated error.
