How to choose the most suitable MEMS IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit)?

MEMS-based IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) have been widely used in autonomous driving, drones, industrial automation, national defense and military industries. MEMS IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) are popular among users due to their small size, high-cost performance, and low sensitivity to external influences. This article teaches you how to choose the most suitable IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit).

The first step is to check the IMUs’ (Inertial Measurement Units) accuracy.

The accuracy indicators of IMUs (Inertial Measurement Unit) products mainly include the main performance indicators of gyroscopes and accelerometers, and their expressions generally include typical values, optimal values, and maximum values. Typical values are usually used to describe the average performance of a product under standard test conditions. They are generally representative values that characterize group performance. The optimal value refers to the best performance parameter value of an IMU (Inertia Measurement Unit), which can be regarded as the upper limit of product performance and is not representative. The maximum value is the embodiment of the product's lowest performance and can be regarded as the lower limit of product performance.

Besides, in general, the higher accuracy of the IMU product, the cost will be higher. When selecting a model, users should make a comprehensive assessment based on the actual situation. Choose products that are suitable for the usage scenario, meet the accuracy requirements, and are cost-effective. Avoid the waste of resources caused by blindly selecting high-precision products.

The second step is to check the IMUs’ (Inertial Measurement Units) reliability.     

The reliability of the inertial measurement unit is the most important indicator to ensure product application. High reliability of the inertial measurement unit means good environmental adaptability of the product, and the main performance indicators and functions of the inertial measurement unit throughout its life cycle can fully meet the design requirements.

The third step is to check the IMUs’ (Inertial Measurement Units) quality.   

   The quality of inertial measurement units has attracted much attention, mainly reflecting the level of products in terms of accuracy, reliability, testability, maintainability, safety, security, electromagnetic compatibility, etc. To ensure that all products meet the quality requirements, our partners strictly control each link including design, production, test calibration, testing, delivery, after-sales, etc. to ensure that they meet the military quality.

The fourth step is to check the IMUs’ (Inertial Measurement Units) delivery and fulfillment capabilities

The production scale of our partners is an important guarantee for the reliability of cooperation between the two parties. Strong scale production capacity means strong credibility, strong batch production capacity, and strong product reliability of the enterprise. It can avoid problems such as commercial cooperation breach of trust, product delivery delays, and quality control risks.

The fifth step is to check the IMUs’ (Inertial Measurement Units) application cases.

In addition to the accuracy index, whether the product has application cases also needs to be considered. Different application scenarios have different requirements for product installation methods, communication protocols and other details. Having rich application experience means that our partners can provide users with accurate and reliable support in technical services, joint debugging, and after-sales support, helping customers save trial and error costs.

The sixth step is to check the partners’ operations and innovation capabilities.

The last step is also the most easily overlooked factor, that is whether the manufacturer can develop in a healthy and long-term manner. Behind the selection of products is the selection of partners. Choosing a good partner will help both parties share resources, promote technological innovation, and achieve win-win cooperation and common development.