Jump to content

Inertial reference unit

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Socrates2008 (talk | contribs) at 13:48, 14 June 2009 (Quick-adding category Avionics (using HotCat)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

An inertial reference unit (IRU) is a type of inertial sensor which uses only gyroscopes to determine a moving aircraft’s or spacecraft’s change in angular direction (referred to as "delta-theta" or Δθ) over a period of time. Unlike the inertial measurement unit, IRUs are generally not equipped with accelerometers, which measure acceleration forces.

IRUs are used for attitude control and navigation of vehicles with relatively constant acceleration rates, such as geosynchronous satellites and deep space probes.

See also=

Stub icon

This technology-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Inertial_reference_unit&oldid=296352350"