KVH Industries, Inc., (Nasdaq:KVHI), announced today that, based on
its successes in autonomous vehicle prototype programs and a wide
range of unmanned applications, it is developing a fiber optic gyro
(FOG)-based, low-cost inertial sensor for self-driving cars. KVH
also announced that it has introduced a Developer’s Kit to support
integration and testing of FOG-based inertial measurement units
(IMUs) into driverless cars.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b7728f11-268c-42fb-a6a2-225d7476a438
“Extremely precise heading based on fiber optic gyro technology
is absolutely essential for autonomous vehicle performance. This is
something we learned from having been involved with more than a
dozen driverless car development programs over the years,” says
Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s chief executive officer. “What we
are seeing now is that each driverless vehicle concept in
development around the world is being designed in a unique way.
With so many different possibilities, developers can accelerate
their progress by working with a proven technology such as KVH’s
FOGs and FOG-based IMUs and leveraging our experience to ensure
their success.”
The new Developer’s Kit includes the user interface software and
all components needed to immediately connect a KVH FOG or FOG-based
IMU to a computer in order to configure, analyze, and test the
unit. “The kit is designed to help engineers get up and running in
minutes, making it easier to run diagnostics and accelerate their
system development,” says Roger Ward, KVH’s director of FOG product
development.
Driverless cars represent one of the fastest areas of
autonomous-systems development. Transportation experts, automotive
manufacturers, and engineers alike predict that driverless cars
will be commonplace soon. In announcing early this year that an
updated policy concerning automated vehicles will soon be
published, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, noted: “The
rapid development of emerging automation technologies means that
partially and fully automated vehicles are nearing the point at
which widespread deployment is feasible.”
FOGs and FOG-based IMUs are key parts of the sensor mechanisms
that are essential for highly accurate autonomous car performance.
For example, FOGs provide precise azimuth measurements that an
autonomous car’s logic processing unit and control systems need in
order to determine motion through a curve. An IMU – which includes
FOGs and accelerometers in one compact, lightweight package – does
even more, providing highly accurate 6-degrees-of-freedom angular
rate and acceleration data to precisely track the position and
orientation of the car even when GPS is unavailable, thereby aiding
the car in staying on course.
“We have successfully produced more than 90,000 fiber optic
gyros for an extensive range of unmanned applications, in part
because of our ability to tailor size, performance, and cost to
meet different design needs,” says Jeff Brunner, KVH’s vice
president for FOG operations. “Controlling the entire FOG design
and manufacturing process gives us that advantage, and makes it
possible to produce a low-cost sensor when driverless cars enter
full-scale production.”
KVH’s FOGs and FOG-based IMUs are in use in prototype programs
not only for autonomous cars, but also for production programs for
underwater unmanned vehicle navigation and rail/track geometry
measurement systems, to name just a few. In addition, KVH’s
inertial products have been widely adopted for commercial
applications such as land-based street mapping platforms, unmanned
aerial systems, camera stabilization systems, and remotely operated
subsea systems.
As more and more programs and platforms use KVH’s inertial
products, they are becoming the reference standards of the unmanned
world. For example, KVH’s 1750 IMU was an integral part of 11 of
the 23 humanoid robot finalists in last year’s DARPA Robotics
finals, a competition designed to showcase robots capable of
intervening for and even replacing humans in high-risk situations
such as fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.
“Our IMUs and inertial sensors have already been used in a wide
range of products and applications, and we know that it’s just the
beginning,” says Mr. Kits van Heyningen. “We are thrilled to play a
role in these exciting developments and emerging applications that
are literally changing everyday life.”
Note to Editors: For more information about KVH’s inertial
products, please see the FOG Developer’s Kit,
http://landing.kvh.com/developerskit, and visit KVH’s “Guiding
Intelligent Systems” website, www.kvh.com/unmanned. For a company
overview of KVH, please view “KVH – Innovation that Enables a
Mobile World,” https://youtu.be/m9Aq8sakzes. High-resolution
images of KVH products are available at the KVH Press Room Image
Library, www.kvh.com/press-room/image-library.
About KVH Industries, Inc.
KVH Industries is a premier manufacturer of high-performance
sensors and integrated inertial systems for defense and commercial
guidance and stabilization applications, having sold more than
19,000 TACNAV® systems and more than 90,000 fiber optic gyros. KVH
is also a leading manufacturer of solutions that provide global
high-speed Internet, television, voice services, and content via
satellite to mobile users at sea, on land, and in the air. KVH is
based in Middletown, RI, with research, development, and
manufacturing operations in Middletown, RI, and Tinley Park, IL.
The company’s global presence includes offices in Belgium, Brazil,
Cyprus, Denmark, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway,
Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
This press release contains forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties. For example,
forward-looking statements include statements regarding our product
development goals, market trends, competitive positioning, and the
functionality, characteristics, quality, cost and performance of
KVH products and technology. The actual results could differ
materially from the statements made in this press release. Factors
that might cause these differences include, but are not limited
to: potential unanticipated technical impediments and poor or
delayed research and development results; continued fluctuations in
commercial sales of our guidance and stabilization products,
particularly with respect to our FOG-based products and systems;
the need for, or delays in, qualification of products to customer
or regulatory standards; unanticipated declines or changes in
customer demand, due to economic, seasonal, and other factors;
unforeseen changes in competing technologies and products; lack of
reliable vendors; potential changes in market trends and other
developments affecting the buying patterns of end-users of fiber
optic products, including management’s assessment of the
probability and effect of future events. These and other
factors are discussed in more detail in KVH’s Annual Report on Form
10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 14,
2016. Copies are available through its Investor Relations
department and website, http://investors.kvh.com. KVH does not
assume any obligation to update its forward-looking statements to
reflect new information and developments.
KVH and TACNAV are registered trademarks of KVH Industries, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective
companies.
The photo is also available at Newscom, www.newscom.com, and via
AP PhotoExpress.
For further information, please contact:
Jill Connors, Media & Communications Manager
KVH Industries, Inc.
Tel: +1 401 851 3824
jconnors@kvh.com
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