| Abstract | Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are used extensively at the NRC-IOT for ship model testing and research experiments. In many cases, selection of the correct IMU is key to the success of the experiment. Unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) designers, such as Marine Robotics Inc., face a similar challenge of selecting an appropriate IMU for their specific application. As a result, the NRC-IOT has commissioned a study of the performance of several IMUs that will provide side-by-side comparison data to assist instrumentation engineers and designers in the IMU selection process. The study consists of four main parts: design of a test apparatus, development of a data acquisition system, simultaneous IMU testing, and data analysis. Each part of the study is addressed in a separate section of this report, however the main focus of this work is on the physical IMU tests performed between May and August 2011 at the NRC-IOT. The IMU tests feature side-by-side testing of a Crossbow, MicroStrain, MotionPak-II, PHINS, Watson, and Xsens IMU. The report documents the equipment, test configurations, and procedures used to perform the IMU tests and presents some initial test results along with discussion and conclusions. Complete test logs are also included in this report to assist with the data analysis phase of the study. |
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