Veripos introduces inertially-aided solution for DP vessels

Equipment & Technology - October 5, 2012

Veripos has introduced a new inertially-aided solution for dynamically positioned vessels combining latest GNSS positioning technology advances with high integrity inertial measurements for enhanced and more reliable positioning performance, Verify Axiom.

Developed in association with Sonardyne International and featuring seamless integration of Veripos GNSS and Sonardyne inertial technologies, Verify Axiom exploits long-term precision characteristics of GNSS positioning with the continuous availability and rapid update rates of inertial sensors.

It thus bridges any GNSS disruptions typically caused by ionospheric irregularities and physical obstructions while detecting position outliers due to common mode failures which can otherwise affect vessel systems simultaneously.

The core component of Verify Axiom is Sonardyne’s IMO-approved Lodestar Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS) which outputs precise position, velocity and attitude in dynamic conditions without any need for external support inputs or vessel manoeuvres.

The Lodestar’s INS high-grade gyroscopes have been specifically selected to optimise performamce and ease of use while its North-seeking capability greatly simplifies installation, as no external aiding is required.

Veripos’s wide-ranging GNSS positioning capabilities in turn complement Lodestar’s inertial sensor outputs, which are combined mathematically to compute position with the highest possible accuracy and integrity for a surface navigation system.

Input of GNSS observation data corrects any potential degradation over time in the inertial position solution.

Providing significantly improved reliability in challenging conditions with heading, pitch and roll output, Verify Axiom enables a single navigation solution to be computed and displayed with intuitive status and quality metrics, with industry-standard output telegrams available for external interfacing.

Its features and capability will be shown to the industry for the first time by Veripos at this year’s Marine Technology Society (MTS) Dynamic Positioning conference in Houston from 9-10 October.