Gyro and Accelerometer Panel's 60th Anniversary
Over two unassuming days in May 1962, a group of 32 inertial sensor producers and users met in Dayton Ohio for the first Gyro and Accelerometer Panel meeting [1]. The Panel was formed in response to an industry survey that inquired about company and government institution knowledge of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) Gyro Project and solicited recommendations for future project activities and expansion. The survey results indicated that the Gyro Project should continue, and expand into the field of accelerometers. Thus, the AIA Electronics Parts Committee (EPC) established the Gyro and Accelerometer Panel.
At the first meeting, the Panel elected a Chair, and subdivided the Panel into three subcommittees; the Gyro Terminology and Test Instructions subcommittee, the Accelerometer Terminology, and Test Instructions subcommittee, and the Gyro Specification Format and Standardization subcommittee. Over the course of the next two years, the Panel would continue the work of the Gyro Project, and develop documents that would later become Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standards.
In late 1964/early 1965, the AIA reorganized, and it was determined that the Panel no longer fit in their new organizational structure. The Panel began discussions with the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and IEEE to find a new home for the Panel. In April 1965, the Panel found its new home as a subcommittee of the IEEE Navigation Aids Committee. The Panel established a Charter and Bylaws and restructured into two subcommittees encompassing Gyros and Accelerometers respectively. Finally, in 1968, the Panel moved to its current home in the Aerospace and Electronic Systems Group, now Society (AESS).
The Panel creates terminology, specification format, and test procedure standards for components and systems designed to detect or measure inertial motion. They also promote understanding of these components and systems. The Panel standards reduce confusion by establishing an accepted way to describe a technology or product and creating a common language that can be used by the industry. The standards improve efficiency in the development, production, test, and sales of inertial technologies.
Industry, government, educational institution, and professional society representatives from around the world compose the membership of the Panel. This membership is knowledgeable of or interested in, the characteristics, operating principles, sources of error, and application of inertial sensors and systems. Balanced representation is sought between the sectors and types of inertial experience, such as producers, users, and general interest. This balance serves to ensure that Panel standards are widely accepted.
The Panel holds bi-monthly meetings alternating between the East, and West coasts of the United States with virtual meetings held when physical meetings are untenable. The Panel has also held international meetings in Canada, France, Germany, and Russia. Meetings are an open forum, and attendance by all interested parties is encouraged.
Over the Panel’s 60-year history, 15 inertial sensor and system standards have been published. These standards include ten Specification Format Guide and Test Procedures, two Recommended Practices, and two Terminology Standards, which cover six different gyro, accelerometer, and system technologies. Most of the standards include informative annexes covering aspects such as design features, and theoretical principles of operation.
Just in time for the 60th anniversary, the Panel has published IEEE Std 1780 [2] for the specification of inertial measurement units (IMU). The standard provides a common meeting ground of terminology and practices for manufacturers and users. It defines the requirements useful for the specification of a self-contained strapdown, or gimbaled, inertial measurement unit, in terms specific to a unit treated as a “black box”.
To begin the next 60 years of Panel contributions, the Panel has begun the processes required to develop a new systems-related standard. This standard will document the specification format for inertial navigation systems (INS). The Panel will begin by creating a document outline and providing ideas for the content of each clause in the standard. Volunteers will then be requested to populate the clauses, with the Panel reviewing the provided content, and adapting it into the final document. Lessons learned from the development of IEEE Std 1780 will speed the process of developing this new standard.
Beyond the development of the INS standard, there exists the possibility for the development of additional standards. Two of these documents could be companion test procedures to the IMU, and INS standards, while other standards may be developed for emerging sensor technologies such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance gyroscopes and atomic interferometers.
References
[1] A.T. Cambell, ”History of the IEEE/AESS Gyro and Accelerometer Panel,” IEEE AES Systems Magazine, pp. 53, Apr. 1993.
[2] IEEE Std 1780-2022, IEEE Standard for Specifying Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs)