Inertial Navigation for Subsea Operations - iXblue (2024)

Equipping over 80% of the subsea vehicles used in the Energy and Geoscience industries, iXblue FOG (Fiber-Optic Gyroscope)-based Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and Attitude Heading and Reference Systems (AHRS) are accurate and maintenance-free navigation systems that offer unrivaled performance and power robust navigation for Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs).

Striving to always bring increased efficiency to companies operating in the subsea world, and to enhance its Inertial Navigation Systems positioning performance, iXblue partners with DVL manufacturers Nortek and Teledyne RD Instruments to offer INS/DVL tight-coupling solutions. Benefitting from iXblue’s field-proven FOG technology and from the latest DVL developments that Nortek and Teledyne RD Instruments have been working on, this solution combines the best navigation technologies available today and offers a scalable, plug & play solution which performance and characteristics can be best suited to the user’s needs.

Offering modularity and flexibility, it enables users to choose the INS and DVL combination best suited to their needs in terms of accuracy, volume, weight and altitude, without compromising on the solution’s ease-of-use. Additionally, integration on the vehicle is made flexible thanks to the possibility to separate both the INS and DVL and individually place them anywhere and in any convenient orientation.

Benefiting from FOG technology

iXblue gyrocompasses and Inertial Navigation Systems all benefit from the Fiber-Optic Gyroscope (FOG) technology that iXblue pioneered. Offering solid state, strap-down systems with no mechanical or moving parts, iXblue FOG technology offers maintenance-free solutions with very low cost-of-ownership.

Reliability is key when operating in the extreme environments of the subsea sector, and iXblue comprehensive range of subsea gyrocompasses and Inertial Navigation Systems is trusted worldwide for its high accuracy and reliability. iXblue navigation systems have thus been operated, for the past 20 years, in the most challenging environments such as subsea or long duration space applications.

iXblue systems have furthermore been qualified to withstand the extremely harsh environments of land defense, with its extreme vibrations, shocks and temperature changes and are now operated by over 60 navies and armies worldwide, testifying of the robustness and reliability of iXblue solutions.

iXblue INS and AHRS have cumulated over 3 million functioning hours. Using standard telecom technology components with proven lifetime and reliability, iXblue navigation systems – including their three fiber-optic gyroscopes, three accelerometers and system electronics – have demonstrated over 150 000 hours of Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), with the FOG itself boasting an MTBF higher than 500 000 hours, making iXblue navigation systems highly reliable solutions.

Low-power consumption

iXblue continuously works on the power consumption of its INS systems. This is especially important for AUV manufacturers and operators who seek to save watts, while keeping high data processing power.

Interfacing

Integration of external sensors (DVL, pressure sensors, Sound Velocity Probes…) is made easy thanks to a wide range of protocols offered, both in inputs and outputs. Ascii, NEMEA, and binary telegrams are available through a system embedded web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) or accessible through control command for AUVs.

Third-party friendly

As per the company’s open philosophy, iXblue inertial navigation systems all benefit from an open format protocol, making them compatible with third-party products and solutions. This results into INS/AHRS that are easy to integrate into existing pool of equipment and operational fields.

ITAR-free

iXblue in-house manufacturing of all its INS/AHRS ensures the navigation company’s independence in relation to strategic suppliers and allows iXblue to offer ITAR-free products that are easy to export worldwide.

Scalable navigation solutions

Offering a complete suite of scalable AHRS and INS which performance and characteristics cover the full spectrum of users’ needs and requirements, iXblue subsea navigation solutions can easily be integrated into various subsea vehicles such as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV), Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV) or Tow-fish.

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In order to answer operators, surveyors and rental companies diverse and evolving performance requirements and operational needs relating to attitude, heading, roll and pitch, iXblue enables owners of its Octans Subsea survey-grade AHRS, to easily upgrade their systems to the higher performance of the Rovins INS. For this upgrade, a simple activation license key is needed to update the existing Octans Subsea software to the Rovins’.

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