Analog iMEMS Gyroscope for Aircraft Flight Safety and Training Tool

The iMEMS gyroscope technology of Analog Devices is being made available for Appareo Systems’ new aircraft training and safety tool. Analog Devices is a leading world vendor for high-performance semiconductors used in signal processing applications, for enabling their high performance.

Gyroscopes measure angular rate, or how fast an object is rotating that is measured as a reference against one of the three axes, namely, roll, pitch or yaw. Analog’s iMEMS gyroscopes portfolio is the first commercial surface-micromachined type of angular rate sensors having integrated electronics. This portfolio is a part of a gyroscope range that consumes less power, has better vibration and shock immunity, and smaller in comparison with gyros having similar functionality. The weight of these minute iMEMS gyroscopes is less than 0.5 g and they incorporate 105°C operation, 2000-g-powered shock survivability and 5-V single-supply operation.

Fargo, North Dakota-based Appareo Systems produces 3-D flight analysis software that is award-winning software, as well as lightweight flight data recorders. In an international move for enhancing safety helicopters safety, the Aircraft Logging and Event Recording for Training and Safety (ALERTS), Appareo collaborated with EADS’ division Eurocopter to design Vision 1000 flight data monitoring system. Appareo's clients include companies participating with oil and natural gas industries, the U.S. military and the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) vendors, all of whom have leveraged the advantages from considerably enhanced flight monitoring techniques.

Initially helicopters will install ALERTS Vision 1000 system for capturing and analyzing large amount of data related to flights, including position and inertial information like roll/pitch altitude and location, and also offer cockpit imagery and acoustic data such as flight controls and instrument panels. The ‘AS Flight Analysis 3-D flight virtualization software’ of Appareo is subsequently utilized for playing back the data for accurate depiction of the overall flight record of the aircraft.

The weight of the ALERTS Vision 1000 is less than 300 g. This system operates on a VDC supply. It can be installed on the ground, mounted in the cockpit, resulting in the elimination of various flight data monitoring systems. Its cost is a fraction of that of various flight data recorders.

Analog Devices’ MEMS and Sensor Technology Group’s Vice President, Mark Martin informed that the Vision 1000 is considered as among the best training tools by the avionics industry already. He explained that the ability of Analog to offer a high- performance, single-chip gyroscope that complies with the strict quality and performance standards stipulated by the aviation industry illustrates the manner in which the requirement of the high performing MEMS motion sensors is triggering an innovation and the next move for the adoption of MEMS sensor applications in various advanced technology markets.

Source: http://www.analog.com