Effective combination of MEMS technology and north seeker

Key Points

The acquisition of azimuth geographic information is an important branch of inertial technology. However, inertial north-seeking technology is an orientation technology that can determine the true north direction without relying on any external conditions. With the rapid development of science, technology and economic construction, there is an increasing demand for inertial orientation technology. In particular, inertial north-seeking application technology is more widely used in mine surveying.

The strapdown north seeker needs to “level first, then find north”. However, leveling is often time-consuming and laborious, especially the high precision of large vehicle platforms, and fast leveling is difficult. If the north finder can find the north directly in the tilted state, the problem caused by leveling will be completely solved. This is the starting point of developing the all-attitude north seeker. The so-called “full attitude north finding” means that it can find north in various inclined states. Its significance is not only that it can accurately find the north in the inclined state, but more importantly, it brings changes to the system aiming and measuring methods. Because of this: “full-attitude north finding” will become one of the development directions of north finding in the military and civilian fields. Gyroscopic north finding method does not require astronomical observation, does not depend on the geomagnetic field, is not interfered by iron materials, and determines the true north of the earth, its autonomous, all-weather characteristics are of great significance in military and civilian fields.

For civil fields such as coal mining, mining, underground drilling engineering, and tunnel excavation, inertial north seekers with gyroscopes as the core are usually used due to the inability to obtain external information assistance. Micro-Magic Inc has continuously improved the technology of traditional north seekers, overcoming the characteristics of traditional fiber optic north seekers such as large size and low power consumption. It uses MEMS technology to make the north seeker smaller in size, lighter in weight and lower in power consumption. , the accuracy is maintained at a medium to high level, suitable for most civil industries, and more suitable for fields with strict restrictions on the survey environment.

The NF 1000 MEMS north seeker integrates a high-performance MEMS gyroscope and MEMS accelerometer in a standalone structure. The gyroscope and accelerometer selected for the system represent the leading level of MEMS process inertial devices. All electronic components in the system are 100% domestic. The three-axis MEMS gyroscope is sensitive to the angular motion of the carrier, and the three-axis MEMS accelerometer is sensitive to the linear acceleration of the carrier. The zero position of all temperature parameters, scale factor, non-orthogonal error and acceleration related terms are compensated within the system, which can maintain a high measurement accuracy for a long time. At the same time, the adaptive attitude algorithm is integrated in the system, which can ensure the measurement accuracy of the attitude for a long time.

Azimuth transmission and aiming are the most important links when using gyro north finding system to obtain information. In the construction and construction process of shield excavation in mines and tunnels, the acquisition of northbound information is the key. When working underground, the measurement of the center line in the pit generally adopts long distance wires which are difficult to guarantee accuracy. The measurement accuracy is difficult because it is impossible to carry out too much detection work. The use of a north finder can obtain an absolutely high precision bearing reference, and can reduce the detection work, using the centerline measurement method. With the continuous improvement of north finder, more and more applications in open-pit mine measurement, its positioning precision, physical autonomous positioning, short measurement time and other advantages, the use of underground measurement will be more common, economic benefits will be more obvious.

In addition to the above MEMS north finder for mining directional drilling, Micro-Magic Inc also has the cost-effective MEMS three-axis north finder NF 1000. If you are interested, you can talk to us in detail.