The EKINOX Series is a line of tactical-grade MEMS Inertial Sensors, designed for high-performance attitude and heading reference (AHRS) and inertial navigation systems (INS) in various applications including land, marine, subsea, and airborne environments. These sensors leverage MEMS technology and an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) for robust and accurate navigation.
Function Description:
The Ekinox series provides highly accurate orientation and navigation data. The core of the system is an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) comprising 3-axis accelerometers and 3-axis gyroscopes. This IMU data is processed by an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) at 200 Hz, which also integrates data from various aiding sensors for enhanced performance.
The Ekinox-A and E versions are primarily AHRS and INS, respectively, relying on external GNSS receivers for navigation. The Ekinox-D model, however, features an embedded survey-grade GNSS receiver, making it a complete INS with integrated GNSS capabilities. This internal GNSS receiver supports L1/L2 GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BEIDOU constellations, offering SBAS, DGPS, and RTK positioning with a 5Hz refresh rate.
The device offers various output data streams including orientation (roll, pitch, heading), position (latitude, longitude, altitude), and velocity. It also supports synchronization inputs and outputs for external device triggering and data time-stamping.
Important Technical Specifications:
Mechanical Specifications:
- Enclosure: Anodized Aluminum, designed for harsh environments with an IP-68 rating (24 hours at 2 meters).
- Dimensions (A/E models): Height: 5.8 cm (2.28"), Width: 10 cm (3.94"), Depth: 8.6 cm (3.39").
- Dimensions (D model): Height: 7.5 cm (2.9"), Width: 10 cm (3.94"), Depth: 8.6 cm (3.39").
- Weight (A/E models): 435 g (1.0 lb).
- Weight (D model): 610 g (1.3 lb).
- Shocks: 500 g for 0.3 ms.
- Operating Vibrations: 3g RMS - 20Hz to 2 kHz (A2 range options) / 8g RMS - 20Hz to 2 kHz (A3 range options) per MIL-STD-810G.
- Operating Temperature: -40 to 75°C (-40 to 167°F).
- Storage Temperature: -40 to 85°C (-40 to 185°F).
- Humidity: Sealed, no limit.
- MTBF (computed): 50,000 hours.
- Calibration Interval: None required, maintenance-free.
Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Specifications:
- Accelerometers (A2/A3):
- Full scale: ±8 g (A2), ±14 g (A3).
- Velocity Random Walk: 7 µg/√Hz (A2), 40 µg/√Hz (A3).
- In-run bias instability: 2 µg (A2), 10 µg (A3).
- Vibration Rectification Error: <200 µg (A2), <50 µg (A3).
- Bandwidth: 433 Hz.
- Orthogonality: <0.02°.
- Gyroscopes (G4):
- Full scale: ±300 °/s.
- In-run bias instability: 0.5 °/hr.
- Angular Random Walk: 0.14 °/√hr.
- Bandwidth: 60 Hz.
- Orthogonality: <0.02°.
GNSS Receiver (Ekinox-D internal) Specifications:
- Channels: 448.
- Signal Tracking: GPS (L1, L2, L2C), GLONASS (L1, L2), GALILEO (E1 B/C, E5b), Beidou (B1, B2), SBAS, QZSS.
- Horizontal Position Accuracy: Single point L1/L2: 1.2 m; SBAS/DGPS: 0.6 m / 0.4 m; RTK: 1 cm + 1ppm.
- Velocity Accuracy: 0.03 m/s RMS.
- True Heading Accuracy: 0.15° (1m baseline), 0.1° (2m baseline).
- Velocity Limit: 515 m/s (due to export licenses).
- Time to First Fix: Cold start <45 s, Hot start <20 s.
- Output Frequency: 5 Hz.
- Differential Corrections: RTCM V2.x, V3.x, CMR V2.0, CMR+.
- Common Specifications:
- Measurement range: 360° in all axes, no mounting limitation.
- Orientation noise: <0.02° RMS (Static).
- Land Applications (with DMI aiding):
- 0s Outage: RTK: 0.01m horizontal position, 0.02m vertical position, 0.02m/s horizontal velocity, 0.02m/s vertical velocity, 0.02° roll, 0.06° heading.
- 10s Outage: RTK: 0.15m horizontal position, 0.1m vertical position, 0.03m/s horizontal velocity, 0.03m/s vertical velocity, 0.03° roll, 0.08° heading.
- 60s/1km Outage: RTK: 3m horizontal position, 0.75m vertical position, 0.1m/s horizontal velocity, 0.1m/s vertical velocity, 0.1° roll, 0.15° heading.
- Marine & Subsea Applications (with dual antenna heading):
- 0s Outage: RTK: 0.01m horizontal position, 0.02m vertical position, 0.02m/s horizontal velocity, 0.02m/s vertical velocity, 0.02° roll/pitch, 0.06° heading.
- 10s Outage: RTK: 0.1m horizontal position, 0.05m vertical position, 0.02m/s horizontal velocity, 0.01m/s vertical velocity, 0.02° roll/pitch, 0.08° heading.
- 30s Outage: RTK: 0.75m horizontal position, 0.25m vertical position, 0.03m/s horizontal velocity, 0.02m/s vertical velocity, 0.03° roll/pitch, 0.15° heading.
- Airborne Applications (with dual antenna heading):
- 0s Outage: RTK: 0.02m horizontal position, 0.02m vertical position, 0.02m/s horizontal velocity, 0.02m/s vertical velocity, 0.02° roll, 0.03° heading.
Electrical Specifications:
- Operating Voltage: 9-36 VDC.
- Power Consumption: 3 W (Ekinox-A/E), 5 W (Ekinox-D).
- Allowable Input Voltage Ripple: 400 mV p-p.
- Galvanic Isolation: 200 VDC.
- Main Connector: 19-way female AluLite Fischer connector (S-104-A092-130). Supports RS-232/RS-422, CAN bus, Ethernet, and Sync I/O.
- Auxiliary Connector: 19-way female AluLite Fischer connector (AL1731-DBPU-104-A092PB12-12G13). Supports up to two full-duplex RS-232/RS-422 ports, two Rx-only RS-232/RS-422 ports, and four synchronization input signals.
- GPS Antenna Connectors (Ekinox-D): TNC connectors. LNA supply voltage: 5 VDC, LNA supply current: <100 mA.
Interfaces Specifications:
- Ethernet: 100BASE-T interface for configuration and data output. Provides Bonjour service, embedded web interface, FTP access for logs, and five virtual serial ports (Eth0 to Eth4) supporting UDP or TCP/IP.
- Serial Interfaces: 1 to 5 physical RS-232/RS-422 serial ports (Port A to Port E). Configurable baud rates from 4,800 to 921,600 bps. Supports various protocols including sbgECom binary, NMEA, RTCM, TSS1, Septentrio SBF, Novatel Binary, Trimble.
- CAN 2.0 A/B Interface: Supports transfer rates up to 1 Mbits/s.
- Synchronization Inputs (SYNC In A, B, C, D, E): Output log trigger (up to 200Hz), Event Marker (up to 1kHz), PPS input, External aiding data time-stamping.
- Synchronization Outputs (SYNC Out A, B): Main loop divider (up to 200Hz), PPS output (1Hz).
Usage Features:
- Flexible Aiding Sensor Integration: The Ekinox can be aided by various external sensors. Ekinox-A accepts a single external GNSS receiver, while Ekinox-E and D accept up to two external GNSS receivers for navigation and heading. Ekinox-E/D also supports DVLs or odometers for velocity aiding.
- Embedded Web Interface: Easy configuration and real-time data visualization through a web page, accessible via the device's serial number (e.g.,
http://ekinox_02700001.local).
- Internal Datalogger: High-speed datalogger capable of storing all data at 200Hz for 48 hours, with an 8 GB flash memory.
- Software Development Kit (SW-AEK-SDK): Includes sbgCenter analysis software, sbgECom C library and examples, documentation, and low-level protocol specifications for custom development and analysis.
- Qinertia Post-Processing Software (SW-QINERTIA-PRO): An in-house solution for post-processing inertial data with raw GNSS observables, enhancing accuracy in both forward and backward directions. Features tight coupling INS/GNSS fusion, access to over 7,000 base stations, and support for industry standards.
- Robust Connectivity: Utilizes Fischer connectors for secure and reliable connections in harsh environments.
- Typical Wiring Diagrams: The manual provides detailed wiring diagrams for power supply, main and auxiliary interfaces (RS-232, RS-422, CAN bus), GNSS connections, and triggering external devices.
- Connection Topologies: Examples of advanced automotive and marine applications demonstrate how to integrate the Ekinox-D and E models with various external devices like RTK base stations, odometers, cameras, and echo sounders.
Maintenance Features:
- Maintenance-Free Calibration: The device is designed for long-term operation without requiring re-calibration.
- Rugged Design: The anodized aluminum enclosure with IP-68 rating ensures durability and protection against harsh environmental conditions, minimizing the need for frequent maintenance.
- Cleaning: In harsh environments (e.g., salt water), the enclosure should be rinsed with clear water to prevent long-term presence of salt.
- Support: SBG Systems provides comprehensive support via email and phone for EMEA and Americas regions, offering assistance with product usage, troubleshooting, and warranty claims.
- Warranty: A two-year warranty covers defects in materials or manufacture. SBG Systems undertakes repair or replacement of defective products. The warranty is void if the housing is opened or if damage is caused by improper use or maintenance.
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