Attitude and Heading Reference Systems (AHRS)
Beginning in 2001, Inertial Labs began manufacturing it’s MEMS based, IP-67 sealed, MIL-STD-810G qualified, multiple interfaces and COM ports Attitude and Heading Reference System in response to the need for an inclusive and price competitive Antenna Pointing, Aiming, and Stabilizing applications. Each INS contains an Inertial Labs developed Tactical or Industrial-grade Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) and an Inertial Labs manufactured high-precision Fluxgate Magnetometer.
The Inertial Labs team of skilled engineers provides expertise to help users select and configure from the models available: AHRS-10B, AHRS-10P, AHRS-II-P, and OptoAHRS-II. Our support team helps set up units for all application bases to satisfy both GNSS enabled, and GNSS-denied environments.
Available AHRS Models
Use Cases for the AHRS
The Inertial Labs Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) has been commonly used for the following applications:
Remote Sensing with LiDAR
Sometimes called a 3D laser scanner, LiDAR is a surveying instrument that measures distance to a target by illuminating the target with pulsed laser light and measuring the reflected pulses with a sensor. It has terrestrial, airborne, and mobile applications. Some models of 3D LiDAR are able to generate up to 700,000 data points per second, There are plenty of exceptional producers on the market, for example Quanergy®(2) and Velodyne®.
Remote Weapon Stations (RWS)
A Remote Weapon Station (RWS), or otherwise known as a Remote Controlled Weapon Station (RCWS) is a commonly used military oriented fire-control system for both light and medium caliber weapons. This remotely operated system can be used in simulating fire control systems for training purposes as well as main missions in the line of fire. Most commonly used in modern military vehicles this system features many additional sensors including: an IMU, Optical Aiding Data, GNSS receiver for heading calculations and object recognition software.
Indirect Fire Control
Commonly used in simulating field work, Indirect Fire Control is a method of aiming and firing some projectile where the operator does not rely on a direct line of sight between the target and the turret. Indirect Fire Control systems have now incorporated optical data to stabilize heading drift without the need of GPS/GNSS receivers. The OptoAHRS-II by Inertial Labs was developed in response and has algorithms developed especially for using with artillery in the training field.
Aiding Data Navigation Solution
A navigation solution in its simpliest form requires information from external sources to compute the necessary calculations and return attitude, position, velocity, and time with high precision. The AHRS-II-P is Inertial Labs solution to end users who have many sensor components on board already, but need a hardware component that is able to filter out noise, improve accuracy with its Robust Kalman Filter and output a complete navigation solution.
Antenna Pointing
Used for both Line of Sight (LOS) and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) applications, the AHRS is the ideal low-cost solution for ensuring that communication hardware is oriented and being directed in the proper direction. Communication between land and shore and vehicle to ground station is vital for both commercial and military applications, and Inertial Labs has the necessary sensor solution for it.
Platform Stabilization
Typically comprised of a support frame, a carrier platform, isolators and sensor systems, platforms stabilization is a common use case of the AHRS in both marine, and industrial applications. For high rise workers at the construction site or engineers accounting for offsets on a developing pan and tilt system, the AHRS is the perfect solution for the job.
Antenna Reference Unit (ARU)
Similarly to how an Inertial Reference unit (IRU) determines an aircraft’s change in rotational attitude, an Antenna Reference Unit simply determines and calculates orientation (attitude) offsets for a antenna being used commonly on static platforms and dynamic ground vehicles. Unlike gimbaled systems, Inertial Labs strapdown system is lighter, smaller and consumes much less power, making it the perfect solution as an ARU.
AHRS Supported Software
Inertial Labs supplies drivers and necessary tools for easy integration with commonly used platforms such as ROS, LabVIEW, and Waypoint products.
Performance Characteristics for the AHRS
Professional AHRS Heading, Pitch and Roll Accuracy
Development Kits Available for the AHRS
Unboxing the AHRS-10P
Trademark Legal Notice: All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this document are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement. Kongsberg/Seatex, Ship Motion Control SMC, Teledyne TSS, R2Sonic, WAASP, EdgeTech, NORBIT, IMAGENEX, HYPACK, QINSY, Novatel Inertial Explorer are trademarks of Kongsberg/Seatex, Ship Motion Control SMC, Teledyne TSS, R2Sonic, WAASP, EdgeTech, NORBIT, IMAGENEX, HYPACK, QINSY, Novatel Inertial Explorer
Established in 2001, Inertial Labs is a leader in position and orientation technologies for commercial, industrial, aerospace and defense applications. Inertial Labs has a worldwide distributor and representative network covering 20+ countries across 6 continents delivering compact, high performance and affordable Miniature Orientation Sensors, Motion Reference Units (MRU), Attitude & Heading Reference Systems (AHRS) and GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation Systems (INS). With application breadth on Land, Air, and Sea; Inertial Labs covers the gambit of inertial technologies and solutions. Contact us to learn more.
