POLAR

The POLAR is a high-end, MEMS-based Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) and Inertial Navigation System (INS). It is perfect for system integration in avionics packages or other attitude sensing applications, and includes:
  • Attitude Heading & Reference System (AHRS)
  • Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
  • Inertial Navigation System (INS)
  • Air Data System (ADS)
  • GPS
POLAR has proved itself in a variety of highly dynamic environments, giving outstanding results:
  • Red Bull Air Race
  • MotoGP onboard 'GyroCam'
  • Reno Air Races.
  • Various UAVs as the onboard ADAHRS for the Customer's own flight control computer.

Redundancy built into the POLAR software allows it to survive individual sensor failures while maintaining accurate estimates of attitude and position. Its high-performance MEMS-based IMU is calibrated and compensated over the full industrial temperature range.

Key features:
  • Compact and easy to integrate
  • Combines exceptional navigation and attitude performance device in a wide range of high dynamics conditions and GPS-denied dead-reckoning navigation
  • Supplied as standard in an aircraft-grade anodized aluminium box
  • Optionally it can be supplied as an OEM board for direct integration in the Customer's product
  • It is used as the onboard sensor suite inside UAV Navigation's VECTOR autopilot

Part No

For POLAR part number info, please consult POLAR Airspeed Ranges

REDUNDANCY AND SAFETY

Online sensor diagnostics

Yes

Sensor failure tolerance

All single, several multiple

I/O

Serial comm

RS-232, RS-422, RS-485

CAN (capability available from early 2017)*

1Mbps A and B
*Available under request.

ELECTRICAL

Voltage Supply (unregulated)

9V to 36V DC

Power consumption

1W

GNSS

Current GNSS system
  • GPS L1C/A
  • SBAS L1C/A

Multi-constellation capability available from early 2017
  • 72-channel receiver
  • GPS L1C/A
  • SBAS L1C/A
  • QZSS L1C/A
  • GLONASS L10F
  • BeiDou B1
  • Galileo E1B/C

Antenna

Active (for best performance) or passive

Antenna Connector (boxed version)

50 Ohm SMA Female

Antenna power supply

3.3V

Sensitivity

-167 dBm

Time to First Fix
  • Cold Start: 26s
  • Hot Start: 1s

Navigation Update Rate
  • Single GNSS: up to 10 Hz
  • Concurrent GNSS: up to 5 Hz

Velocity Accuracy

 0.05 m/s

Heading Accuracy

 0.3 degrees

Horizontal Position Accuracy

 2 m

Accuracy of Time Pulse Signal (RMS)

 30 ns

Frequency of Time Pulse Signal

 PPS signal can be configured by the user (default: 1 pps)

Operational Limits of GNSS
  • Dynamics: 4 g
  • Altitude: 50,000 m
  • Velocity: 500 m/s

AIR DATA SYSTEM (ADS)

POLAR Airspeed Ranges

 

Altimeter

-2.000 ft to 30.000 ft AMSL

Altimeter Accuracy

50 ft

Altimeter Resolution

0.5 ft

IMU (INERTIAL MEASUREMENT UNIT)

Sampling rate

1 kHz

ACCELEROMETERS

Accelerometers range

+/-16 g (all axis)

3dB Bandwidth

400 Hz

Noise

0.52 mg/√Hz

RATE GYRO RANGE

Gyro range

2000º/s (all axis)

3dB Bandwidth

77 Hz

Noise

0.015 °/s /√Hz

MAGNETOMETER

Internal Magnetometer

3 axis (possibility to connect external magnetometer, e.g. MG01)

Magnetometer attitude compensation

Yes

Full scale range

 +/- 1000 uT

Sensibility

 0.10 uT

Maximum applied magnetic/field

 100,000 uT

AHRS/INS DYNAMIC ACCURACY *

Roll, pitch, yaw range

Continuous unrestricted

Pitch & Roll error

< 0.5º

Heading error

< 1º

Position

2m CEP with GPS and WAAS/EGNOS available

Drift

<50 m/min (continuous, not first minute only)

* 1σ precision in single cylinder piston powered UAV standard flight, with full sensor suite operational. Values are valid for internal and external magnetometer operation.

MECHANICAL / ENVIRONMENTAL

Size (mm, H x W x L)
  • Boxed: 22 x 40 x 82
  • OEM: 14 x 36 x 51

Weight
  • Boxed: 76g
  • OEM: 17g

Humidity (boxed only)

Up to 90% RH, non-condensing

Temperature range

-40ºC to +85ºC

Altitude

 Up to 59000 ft AMSL

Shock survival

500g 8ms 1/2 sine

Mating Connector (boxed only)

MICRO-D Type Male 15-pin

 

POLAR Evaluation Kit
UAV Navigation offers the POLAR Evaluation Board (EVBOARD), together with two complete POLAR Evaluation Kits (EVKIT), to enable evaluation of the POLAR product by Customers.
The POLAR EVBOARD allows the user to access all the available POLAR Inputs & Outputs.
 
Note: only one POLAR unit can be connected to the EVBOARD at any one time.
 
The different versions are shown in the table below:
 
Name Description Kit Contents
POLAR Evaluation Board
  • POLAR Evaluation Board
  • GPS Antenna
POLAR OEM Evaluation Kit
  • POLAR Evaluation Board
  • POLAR OEM unit
  • GPS Antenna
POLAR Boxed Evaluation Kit
  • POLAR Evaluation Board
  • POLAR Boxed unit
  • GPS Antenna
 
See the following articles from the Knowledge Base:

 

 
POLAR Installation Kit
The optional POLAR Installation Kit (INSKIT) offered by UAV Navigation includes the recommended connector and cable to allow the Customer to integrate the POLAR unit into their system. INSKIT contents:
  • GPS Antenna
  • 15-Pin Micro-D System Connector (fitted with 18" / 45cm cables as shown in the image above).
 

 

 
MG01
Sometimes other onboard systems (e.g. electric motors, cabling etc) can interfere with the readings obtained from the built-in magnetometers in UAV Navigation's Autonomous Flight Control Units (AFCU) and AHRS-INS modules. In these cases, the MG01 provides a remote installation which can be physically located in a safe place far from interference.

Pricing