June 26, 2019 – San Jose, California, Thales announces at Sensors Expo 2019, the availability of its NavChip Series 3, the latest in its family of high precision Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs). The Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based high-precision NavChip Series 3 with its advanced proprietary signal processing techniques leverages Thales’ over 20-year legacy in the aerospace navigation systems business, providing high performance IMUs to demanding applications. The NavChip Series 3 provides users with the ability to choose the optimum performance to price in the market of 6-axis IMU’s from both its NavChip and now its NavChip Series 3 with varying performance levels and corresponding price points. The NavChip Series 3 enhanced level of performance, miniaturization, and environmental ruggedness further extends Thales product offering of IMUs, ideally suited for applications including drone navigation, robotic control, camera/antenna platform stabilization, augmented/virtual reality, aiming and alignment, and GPS/INS Integration.

The rationale behind the development of the NavChip Series 3 was to increase the performance accuracy of a key parameter … bias in-run stability to 3°/hour, (typical) and 5°/hour, (max) and thus make it more competitive for a broader range of applications over the +/- 16 g operating range (other ranges available upon request). The previously introduced NavChip had a bias in-run stability of 5°/hour, (typical) and 10°/hour, (max). The enhancement in performance is part of the strategy to expand the number of products in the IMU product line and provide the user with options to pick the performance to best suit the application while minimizing the cost of the solution. Other significant enhancements include a 1,000 Hz update rate, embedded AHRS which reduces system complexity, cost and power consumption, and its ability to accept other external inputs such as a magnetometer to enhance the overall system’s performance while maintaining cost and easing the system’s design complexity.

The NavChip Series 3 provides the highest performance to price in the market of 6-axis IMUs and is fully factory calibrated for bias, scale factor and misalignment over the full operating temperature range. Embedded temperature sensors enable excellent compensation over the entire -40 °C to +85 °C temperature range. MEMS sensor technology, propriety advanced sensor fusion processing techniques, a small and easily mountable package and low power dissipation make this IMU ideally suited for applications including drone navigation, robotic control, camera/antenna platform stabilization, and augmented/virtual reality.

The NavChip Series 3 achieves a level of performance, miniaturization and environmental ruggedness superior to competing IMUs while maintaining an affordable price point. The NavChip Series 3 is a very low drift IMU with a full-scale acceleration range of +/- 16 g and a full-scale angular rate of 2,000 degrees/sec. Typical specifications include a gyro bias in-run stability of 3°/hour, 5°/hour (max.); angular random walk of 0.18°/√hour ; velocity random walk of 0.03𝑚/𝑠/√hour and an exceptionally quiet acceleration noise performance of better than 83 μ𝑔/√𝐻z. Its miniature package of less than 2.0 cm³ (12.5 x 24.4 x 6.1 mm) and weight of 3 g allows for flexible integration. Power consumption is a low 135 mW, making it ideally suited for power sensitive remote and battery-operated systems. It has selectable built-in-test (BIT) modes for command and continuous diagnostic monitoring. Multiple output interfaces, including I2C, TTL UART or SPI-compatible provide the designer with exceptional flexibility. The external sync pin can accept optional GPS pulse-per-second or faster synchronization signals. Single supply operation is from 3.25V to 5.5V.

Mr. Lou Taddeo, Director of Business Development said, “The NavChip Series 3 is the latest offering in our rapidly expanding NavChip family of precision IMUs. It brings the performance, ruggedness and reliably of our legacy aerospace product line to a low-cost component, that meets the requirements of a broad range of commercial applications. We have listened to the voice of the customer to maximize their performance requirements while mainlining a low-cost approach compatible with the commercial market. Our plan is to continue on our path to providing the highest performance to price solutions to our customers with the introduction of newer additions to the NavChip family in the very near future which will offer a broad range of options at varying performance, functionalities and price points.”

PACKAGING
The NavChip Series 3 is available as a discrete component with snap-fit connector.

PRICE AND DELIVERY
The NavChip Series 3 per unit pricing are as follows: 50 per hour gyro bias in-run stability @ $899 and 100 per hour gyro bias in-run stability @ $450 both in small quantities, with volume pricing available. Evaluation kits are available with accompanying integration software, USB and External Sync cable, the use of which facilitates the introduction of the IMU function into the customer’s system is available for $1495 for the 50 kit and $895 for the 100 kit. Adapter boards are also available. These items can be procured through Digi-Key at the following URL:
https://www.digikey.com/en/supplier-centers/t/thales-visionix.

About Thales
The people we all rely on to make the world go round – they rely on Thales. Our customers come to us with big ambitions: to make life better, to keep us safer. Combining a unique diversity of expertise, talents and cultures, our architects design and deliver extraordinary high technology solutions. Solutions that make tomorrow possible, today. From the bottom of the oceans to the depth of space and cyberspace, we help our customers think smarter and act faster – mastering ever-greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way. With 80,000 employees in 68 countries, Thales reported sales of $22.4 billion in 2018.

In the United States, Thales has conducted significant research and development, manufacturing, and service capabilities for more than 100 years. Today, Thales is present in 22 states, operating 46 different facilities and employing more than 5,000 people. Working closely with U.S. customers and local partners, Thales is able to meet the most complex requirements for every operating environment.

Thales Visionix, a business area of Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI), develops industry leading helmet mounted display (HMD) and motion tracking technologies. The company designs, develops, and delivers “game-changing” HMD, inertial tracking, and sensor fusion technology. Their solutions improve the way users operate in high-performance aerospace, defense, and industrial environments through the use of integrated situational awareness systems.