Compact Inertial Navigation System (HCINS) is a navigation system that uses environmental observations to support vehicle positioning. It provides navigation information for an integrated autonomy system, complementing the aircraft guidance and control functions.
The Honeywell Compact Inertial Navigation System (HCINS) is a MEMS-based inertial navigation system with an integrated multi-constellation GNSS receiver, made by Honeywell Aerospace for unmanned aerial vehicles. It is designed for all classes of UAV, and the maker describes it as roughly the size of a deck of cards.
The purpose of the HCINS is to keep navigation reliable during intermittent GNSS disruptions. It combines MEMS accelerometers and gyros with GNSS, using Honeywell navigation algorithms for air, land and marine use. Standalone position error is 2.5 m. With RTK, position error is 0.03 m or 0.015 m, roll and pitch accuracy is 0.02, and dynamic heading is 0.15 degrees with RTK and 0.28 degrees in standard mode, or with dual antennas for GNSS heading. The data rate is 100 Hz and time to first fix is 24 seconds. When paired with the Honeywell Radar Velocity System (HRVS), the HCINS supports flight in GPS-denied environments with a position error of less than 3 percent of distance traveled. Both are part of Honeywell's Resilient UAV Navigation Suite, together with the GPSdome anti-jamming system.
On the integration side, the unit offers plug-and-play connection to Pixhawk autopilot systems and supports Arducopter, PX4 and Mission Planner. It has an Ethernet port (RJ-45, configurable static IP) for connection to a computer, an EAP connector for an external aiding system (3.3 V CMOS), separate SMA connectors for base and rover antennas, an external status LED and a micro SD card tray for data logging with cards up to 32 GB. Supported constellations are GPS L1C/A and L2C, GLONASS L1OF and L2OF, Galileo E1B/C and E5b, BeiDou B1I and B2I, QZSS and SBAS.
Power is 3 W typical from a supply of 4.5 to 5.5 VDC (2 A). The housing measures 96 mm x 60 mm x 28 mm excluding the damping platform (100 mm x 67 mm x 13 mm for the platform) and weighs 115 g. Operating and non-operating temperature ranges are both -40 to +85 degrees C. The system has an ECCN of 7A994 and is generally available without an export license.
Typical applications are rotary-wing and fixed-wing UAVs that need resilient positioning and attitude data in contested or GNSS-degraded conditions.
Specifications
Specifications · Compact Inertial Navigation System (HCINS) navigation system
General
Grade
Professional
Market
Dual-use
Platform class
Small UAS (<25 kg), Large UAS (25–150 kg), Heavy UAS (>150 kg), eVTOL, Ground, Marine
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