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SPERRY NAVIGAT 2100
Fiber-Optic Gyrocompass and Attitude Reference system. The NAVIGAT 2100 Fiber Optic Gyrocompass is the first solid-state, fully electronic digital gyrocompass system for marine application in strapdown technology designed for integrated bridges and advanced high-speed vessels. The fiber optic gyrocompass is a complete solid-state design with no rotating or other moving parts, It has a very high reliability and no maintenance requirements during its service life. The NAVIGAT 2100 fiber optic gyrocompass and attitude heading reference system is comprised of a sensor unit, a control and display unit, and an interface and power supply unit. The fundamental principle of the fiber-optic gyrocompass is the invariance of the speed of light and the so-called Sagnac effect. Here, a fiber-optic coil is used as a very sensitive rate sensor which is capable of measuring the speed of rotation of the earth. A combination of three such fiber-optic coils (gyroscopes) and a dual-axis electronic level sensor is able to determine the direction of true north. From the three rate of turn signals and the information from the electronic level sensor a complex Kalman filter computes the direction of the rotation of the earth from which geographical north is derived.
The fiber-optic gyrocompass can also be used as a sensor for stabilizer systems not only on merchant marine vessels but also on hydrofoils and catamarans. The extremely short settling time of only 30 minutes will be of great advantage for fast ferries. The very high dynamic accuracy coupled with the absence of north speed error will much increase the safety of all vessels, particularly so that of high-speed craft at high latitudes during frequent maneuvers at high speed.
In addition to the sensor unit, a basic NAVIGAT 2100 system comprises a control and display unit, and an interface and power supply unit. Analogue and digital display units and other peripheral equipment are supplied with output data through serial interfaces. It is also possible to add to the system a second gyrocompass (of the conventional type as a back-up for example) and a transmitting magnetic compass system (flux gate). Features
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Designed in strap down technology, the fiber optic gyrocompass is attached directly to the vessel, eliminating the use of a gimbal system. This arrangement supplies heading information and also roll, pitch and rate of turn about all three axes.
The fiber-optic gyrocompass is a complete solid-state design with no rotating or other moving parts. It has very high reliability (MTBF) and no maintenance requirements during its service life.
