Calibration of Inertial Sensors

Calibration of Inertial Sensors

 

At the inertial laboratory of the University of the Bundeswehr Munich, we offer professional calibration services for all IMU classes—from MEMS-grade sensors to navigation-grade IMUs. Our setup enables controlled, repeatable tests across a wide range of motion profiles and temperatures.

Benefits for Our Customers

Working with our inertial laboratory can help you reduce initial investment, make better technical decisions, and build the knowledge needed for your own future calibration activities.

Reduce Initial Investment

There is no need to make a large upfront investment in calibration equipment at an early stage of sensor development. Our laboratory allows you to evaluate sensor performance and calibration requirements first—especially when the target performance and appropriate calibration setup have not yet been fully defined.

Professional, Application-Oriented Support

Beyond calibration and testing, we provide engineering support tailored to your application. This includes assistance with test planning, calibration strategies, sensor evaluation, performance analysis, and interpretation of the results.

Support for Your Own Future Calibration Facility

At the end of a collaboration, we can support you in defining and selecting a customized calibration facility that meets your specific requirements. Through the practical experience gained during the collaboration, your team can also acquire the necessary know-how to operate and maintain its own inertial calibration laboratory.

From Evaluation to Your Own Solution

Our goal is not only to calibrate your sensors, but to support you throughout the development process—from initial sensor evaluation and performance characterization to the design of your own long-term calibration solution.

Laboratory equipment:

Hardware

  • Three-axis motion simulator (turntable) by Drico GmbH (Fig. 1)

  • CO₂-cooled temperature chamber integrated with the turntable
    Temperature range: −60 °C to +100 °C

  • Reference gravity: 8 µGal accuracy
    (Please double-check the conversion: 1 µGal = 1×10⁻⁸ m/s² → 8 µGal ≈ 8×10⁻⁸ m/s²)

  • Reference north direction: 1 arcsec accuracy (measured with a GYROMAT instrument)

  • Vibration-isolated pier beneath the turntable to reduce environmental vibration coupling

 

Fig.1: Three-axis motion simulator (Drico GmbH)

 

Software

We operate a LabVIEW-based calibration environment (Fig. 2) featuring:

  • Predefined calibration routines, e.g.

    • Six-position static test

    • Controlled turn-rate sequences

  • Automatic report generation, enabling flexible test procedures and consistent documentation

 

Fig. 2: LabView-Software

 

Offered services:

 

  • Calibration of deterministic error parameters for any IMU, including:

    • Constant bias

    • Scale factors

    • Misalignment / non-orthogonality terms

  • Temperature calibration (characterization of sensor behavior over temperature)

  • Performance assessment of AHRS and INS, e.g.

    • North-finding performance

    • Alignment performance

  • Engineering consulting, including:

    • IMU/AHRS/INS integration support

    • Test planning and calibration strategy design

    • Sensor selection and trade-off studies

    • Performance analysis, troubleshooting, and validation using simulation, lab and field data

Scope & limitations

Please note that our laboratory services focus on research-grade calibration and performance characterization. At present, we do not:

  • Long-term sensor aging / stability testing
  • Industrial-standard / accredited calibration certificates

 

Some of our inertial laboratory related publications:

[1] M. Bochkati and T. Pany, "Does the Android Operating System Provide what the MEMS-IMU Manufacturers Promise?," 2021 DGON Inertial Sensors and Systems (ISS), 2021, pp. 1-17, doi: 10.1109/ISS52949.2021.9619775.

[2] B. Schulz, M. Bochkati, I. M. Solomon, E. Kiema and T. Pany, "Calibration of a 3D MEMS Gyroscope Using Shallow Neural Networks Under Laboratory Conditions," 2025 IEEE International Symposium on Inertial Sensors and Systems (INERTIAL), Germany, 2025, pp. 1-4, doi: 10.1109/INERTIAL63280.2025.11036895. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/11036895.

 

Contact

For further details, quotations, or test planning, please contact:
mohamed.bochkati@unibw.de