Maintenance-free Gyro Compass

With the new Horizon MF the German navigation system manufacturer Raytheon Anschütz launches a new generation gyro compass which can be operated free of maintenance.
Horizon MF is Raytheon Anschütz’ new strap down compass system which uses Hemispherical Resonator Gyros (HRG) to measure angular rates for heading calculation. In a strapped-down system angular rate gyros and accelerometers are not gimballed but mounted stationary in a housing.
The sensor measures angular rates and accelerations in three axes. Based on these measurements sophisticated software algorithms compute heading but also roll and pitch. Horizon MF comes as a maintenance-free (MF) sensor with an outstanding lifetime performance. Its Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) value is more than 100,000 hours which is a multiple of the MTBF values of optical but also classical mechanical gyros bringing forth an outstanding long lifetime and long-term stability gyro compass for seagoing vessels.
As part of a gyro compass system Horizon MF provides the same advanced functions like heading selection, heading monitoring, automatic switch-over functions, an independent transmitting magnetic compass and individual speed error correction which are well known for Anschütz gyro compasses.
Of course, Horizon MF seamlessly integrates with the Anschütz Standard 22 gyro compass.
 

(As published in the July 2013 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - www.marinelink.com)