13

Navigation—A General Overview

171

Fig. 13.1 Inertial platform of gimbals

Fig. 13.2 Strapdown inertial navigation system

a.

Mechanical Accelerometer consists of a mass suspended by springs, as shown

in Fig. 13.3. The displacement of the mass is measured using the displacement,

giving a signal that is proportional to the force F, and acting on the mass in the

direction of the input axis. Newton’s Second Law F = ma is used to calculate

the acceleration.