Railway Motion Control Unit (RMCU)
The Railway Motion Control Unit – RMCU is a high-performance strapdown system that was developed for Railway application in order to determine absolute orientation (Heading, Pitch and Roll) and parameters of motion (Angular Rates and Linear Accelerations) for any Railway Platforms on which it is mounted. Orientation is determined with high accuracy for both motionless and dynamic applications.
The Inertial Labs RMCU utilizes 3-axes each of precision MEMS accelerometers, miniature Fluxgate magnetometers and MEMS gyroscopes to provide accurate Heading, Pitch and Roll of the device under measure. Integration of gyroscopes’ output provides high frequency, real-time measurement of the device rotation about all three rotational axes. Accelerometers and Fluxgate magnetometer measure absolute, very accurate in static and dynamic conditions Pitch, Roll and Heading/Azimuth at RMCU initial alignment as well as providing ongoing corrections to gyroscopes during operation.
Available RMCU Models
Use Cases for the RMCU
The Inertial Labs Railway Motion Control Unit (RMCU) has been commonly used for the following applications:
Railway Crack Monitoring
Commonly used for integrating into robust railway crack detection analysis systems, the RMCU outputs accurate heading, pitch and roll to help control systems be able to identify the propagation of cracks. With outputs designed to be easily integrated with optical cameras and a maximum output data rate of 4 kHz, you can be confident that you will not miss critical data needed for analysis.
Improved Safety and Reliability for Rail Industry
EN 45545 ensures that Inertial Labs sensing components are protected from the effects of fire and intense heat. The EN 50155 compliance also ensures that these sensors adhere to other environmental compliances as they pertain to temperature, humidity, shock and vibration. Lastly the EN 55011 compliance validates the devices requirements to ensure that these sensors do not effect electro-discharge machining or other instruments that operate within the set frequency range of 9 kHz and 400 GHz.
Aiding Data for Navigation Systems
Since much of the railway industry is automated, sensing technologies that output tactical attitude data, such as the RMCU, are critical in creating robust navigation platforms. Since the RMCU complies with EN 45545, EN 50155 and EN 50011 Railway standards, this solution can be trusted to be the perfect solution for the job.
RMCU Supported Software
Inertial Labs supplies drivers and necessary tools for easy integration with commonly used platforms such as ROS, LabVIEW, and Waypoint products. Additionally take advantage of the Software Development Kit to create custom solutions for your application.
Performance Characteristics for the RMCU
Railway Motion Control Unit – Allan Variance Test for Accelerometers and Gyroscopes
Development Kits Available for the RMCU
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.
