GPS World

Tag: VectorNav VN-300

  • Red Bull Air Race selects VectorNav VN-300 for onboard telemetry

    Red Bull Air Race has selected the VectorNav VN-300 dual-antenna GNSS-aided inertial navigation system (INS) as its primary source of aircraft telemetry data for Master Class raceplanes participating in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship.

    Weighing less than 30 grams, the VectorNav VN-300 is a tiny dual-antenna GNSS-aided INS. It is used in applications ranging from autonomous vehicles to antenna pointing for satellite communication and aerial surveillance applications.

    The inaugural event of the 2018 season in Abu Dhabi saw the VN-300, manufactured by VectorNav Technologies, used for the first time in all 14 aircraft to provide real-time telemetry data used for judging, in-race simulation and virtual reality applications.

    Created in 2003, the world championship has held more than 80 races around the globe. The motorsport competition combines speed, precision and skill.

    U.S. pilot Michael Goulian performs during the finals at the first round of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 3.(Photo: Andreas Langreiter, Red Bull Content Pool)

    Using the fastest, most agile, lightweight racing planes, pilots hit speeds of 370 km/h while enduring forces of up to 10 G as they navigate a low-level slalom track marked by 25-meter-high, air-filled pylons. Pilots incur time penalties for hitting pylons, incorrectly passing through air gates or only exceeding 10 G for more than 0.6 seconds, among others.

    Being an individual sport, spectators need a reference to see the difference between the pilots’ lines and speed through the racetrack. Red Bull Air Race Live TV uses an augmented reality (AR) solution known as the Ghost Plane to display the trajectory of the pilots’ runs for real-time comparison in the head-to-head rounds and the Final 4 that decides the winner of the race by time.

    The Ghost Plane is driven by the position, velocity and attitude data gathered during flight from the onboard INS.

    Critical to the success of the Ghost Plane is the accuracy of the telemetry data, which, given the high dynamics experienced during flight, is extremely difficult to obtain.

    For example, as a plane races through a chicane and into a vertical turn maneuver, GPS signals are lost and the INS needs to rely solely on the inertial sensors to accurately estimate the position and velocity until GPS is fixed again in level flight.

    The VectorNav VN-300. (Photo: VectorNav)
    The VectorNav VN-300. (Photo: VectorNav)

    “We evaluated several different inertial navigation systems and struggled to find one that was able to perform in our dynamics,” said Alvaro Navas, sport technical manager for the Red Bull Air Race. “VectorNav’s VN-300 was the only product able to deliver the attitude, position and velocity data accuracy we require, and it did this out of the box, no customization was required. The sensor is really amazing.”

    “We are really excited to be working with Red Bull Air Race,” said Gordon Hain, VectorNav product manager. “Not only are we able to provide accurate data for the race judges and spectators, but we are also able to provide valuable information to pilots and tacticians. With the VectorNav data in hand, they are able to compare actual flight trajectories with their simulations to find areas for improvement. We are looking forward to continued work with Red Bull Air Race in the 2018 season and beyond.”

  • VectorNav Unveils Updates to VN-300 GPS/INS at AUVSI Show

    VectorNav TechnologiesPhoto: VectorNav has released a surface mount version of its VN-300 dual-antenna GPS-aided inertial navigation system (GPS/INS). It will be on display at booth 942 at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems show, held May 5-7 in Atlanta.

    Surface Mount Device

    The VN-300 surface mount device (SMD) is a miniature MEMS-based inertial navigation module that includes both inertial navigation and GPS-compassing capabilities, which together provide high-accuracy position and velocity in both stationary and moving conditions. With the release of the surface mount version, VectorNav is also announcing the addition of GNSS capability to the full VN-300 product line. The VN-300 SMD completes VectorNav’s line of industrial grade inertial sensors, joining the VN-100 IMU/AHRS and VN-200 GPS/INS surface mount and Rugged modules.

    Incorporating the latest MEMS sensor technology, the VN-300 combines 3-axis accelerometers, 3-axis gyros, 3-axis magnetometers, a barometric pressure sensor, two GPS receivers, and a low-power microprocessor into a rugged aluminum enclosure about the size of a matchbox. When in motion, the VN-300 couples the position and velocity measurements from the onboard GPS receivers with measurements from the onboard inertial sensors to provide position, velocity, and attitude estimates of higher accuracies and with better dynamic performance than a standalone GPS receiver or Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS).

    With the release of the surface mount version of the VN-300 the company says its own Rugged is surpassed as the smallest and lightest dual-antenna GPS/INS on the market. The surface mount VN-300 shares the same footprint and form factor with VectorNav’s surface mount VN-100 IMU/AHRS and VN-200 GPS/INS.

    “The VN-300 surface mount chip is an achievement that combines the best of our expertise in inertial navigation algorithms and our innovative approach to miniaturizing embedded navigation sensors. There simply is no other product like it on the market,” said ohn Brashear, VectorNav’s president. “The VN-300 SMD completes our Industrial Series of inertial navigation sensors and paves the way for the expansion of our product lines into new markets and applications.”

    The VN-300 is ideal for industrial and military applications that are size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C) constrained, or that require an inertial navigation solution under both static and dynamic operating conditions, especially in environments with unreliable magnetic heading such as fixed-wing and multirotor UAVs, aerostats and other tethered UAVs, gimbaled camera systems onboard helicopters and multirotors, antenna systems onboard ground vehicles and marine vessels, weapons training and warfare simulation, and direct surveying.

    New GNSS Capability

    With the release of the surface mount version, VectorNav is also announcing the addition of GNSS capability to the full VN-300 product line.

    The addition of GNSS capability now enables the VN-300 product line to include measurements from satellites in the GLONASS constellation in addition to GPS. These additional measurements provide greater tracking reliability and improved VN-300 performance in urban canyons and reduced visibility conditions.

    Firmware Update

    VectorNav is also announcing the release of a new firmware update for the VN-300 that improves the overall accuracy and time to acquisition of the GPS-compass feature. The new firmware also includes logic that enables the VN-300 to intelligently and seamlessly transition between magnetic heading (AHRS) mode, to INS operation in dynamic conditions and GPS-compass in static conditions, without requiring input from the user.