Precession Azimuth Sensing with Low-Noise Molecular Electronics Angular Sensors

Abstract

This paper describes the use of MET-based low-noise angular motion sensors to precisely determine azimuth direction in a dynamic-scheme method of measuring the Earth’s rotational velocity vector. The scheme includes sensor installation on a rotating platform so that it could scan the space and seek for the position of the highest Earth’s rotation vector projection on its axis. This method is very efficient provided a low-noise sensor is used. A low-cost angular sensor based on MET (molecular electronic transduction) technology has been used. The sensors of this kind were originally developed for seismic activity monitoring and are well known for very good noise performance and high sensitivity. This approach, combined with the use of special signal processing algorithms, allowed reaching the accuracy of 0.2°, while the measurement time was less than 100 seconds.

Study of Systems Error Compensation Methods Based on Molecular-Electronic Transducers of Motion Parameters

“…The basic scheme of the assembly operation is shown in detail in [12]. Zaitsev et al [13] provide the experimental results of the scheme study from [12]. In the present work, the study of the proposed system based on molecular-electronic sensors is continued.…”

“…In this paper, an autonomous system of finding the azimuth by a dynamic method based on a molecular-electronic angular velocity sensor will be studied in detail. The basic scheme of the assembly operation is shown in detail in [12]. Zaitsev et al [13] provide the experimental results of the scheme study from [12].…”

“…The accuracy of the azimuth determination by the developed device and the measurement method generally depends on a number of factors, in particular, on the orthogonality degree of the platform rotation axis of and the angular motion sensor sensitivity axis and rotation axis beatings, which change the slope of the angular motion sensor sensitivity axis in relation to the acceleration of gravity, which will also be seen in the appearance of a periodic signal at the sensor output in case of corresponding sensitivity to linear accelerations [14]. The measurement accuracy in accordance with [12] is influenced directly by the primary sensor self-noise. Besides, temperature drift [15,16] and special aspects of the output to the mode of the molecular-electronic sensor must be taken into account [17,18].…”

Frequency response and self-noise of the MET hydrophone

“…A comparatively new and successfully proven technology based on the molecular electronic transfer (MET) (Hurd and Lane, 1957) in the field of seismology and geophysical research (Deng et al, 2016), navigation and motion control (Zaitsev et al, 2016), earthquake-proof construction (Antonovskaya et al, 2017), and offshore exploration can be used to develop pressure sensors other than traditional piezoceramic, micromechanical and fibre-optic technologies. Distinctive features of sensors based on the MET are of extremely high sensitivity in the field of low frequencies and low level of self-noise.…”

“…The model of its self-noise is built based on the previous knowledge of the physical processes responsible for noise in the MET sensor systems (Kozlov and Safonov, 2003). Including such physical mechanisms as convective noise (Safonov, 2003), noise caused by the impedance of the transforming element (Shabalina, 2007), hydrodynamic noise and noise due to the geometry of the electronic node (Zaitsev et al, 2015), and noise due to cross axis sensitivity (Zaitsev et al, 2018a) has been considered.…”