Tough six-axis IMU for rugged vehicles

Honeywell has created a tough six-degrees-of-freedom inertial measurement unit for heavy-duty and off-road vehicle applications.

Honeywell TARS IMU

TARS-IMU, as it is called, comes in two versions: 5V or 9 – 36V, and includes a sensor-fusion algorithm.

“The sensor fusion algorithm can be customised for specific vehicle applications via on-board firmware, allowing movement data to be filtered to minimise unwanted noise and vibrations,” said according to Powell Electronics, which is stocking the sensor. “As a standard, TARS-IMU is calibrated on aerospace-grade rate tables at the factory to provide consistency between units.”


Powell Honeywell six degrees nomenclature'For those in need of some directional language


It reports angular rate, acceleration and attitude data through an industry-standard CAN J1939 bus.

Operation is over -40 to +85°C and the PBT thermoplastic housing is sealed to IP67 and IP69K. A metal guard is available to add physical protection.

The footprint is 90mm in diameter plus mounting tabs, which accept bolts on a 114mm diameter circle.

The Powell does not currently have a product page. Honeywell’s can be found here

Steve Bush

Steve Bush is the long-standing technology editor for Electronics Weekly, covering electronics developments for more than 25 years. He has a particular interest in the Power and Embedded areas of the industry. He also writes for the Engineer In Wonderland blog, covering 3D printing, CNC machines and miscellaneous other engineering matters.

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