The U.S. Navy’s carrier fleet requires the automated testing of Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) and Inertial Reference Units (IRUs) aboard ships which use inertial equipment. Honeywell provides the Inertial Device Testing System (IDTS) as a component of the Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS) to enable this capability.

In order to meet the Navy’s requirements, Honeywell developed a land-based version of the system. The system uses its own dedicated inertial reference unit in combination with the ship’s navigation system as a baseline against which other shipboard inertial devices are compared.

Honeywell selected EXB to contribute to the development and delivery of the CASS-IDTS to the Navy.

In this project, EXB:

• Participated in the development of the of system architecture, developed software, and integrated the ship’s navigation estimate with the IDTS internal reference unit.
• Developed internal diagnostics for the IDTS.
• Provided analysis of performance problems (communication delays) in the ship’s Navigation Sensor System Interface (NAVSSI) and developed software for the IDTS to resolve these issues.
• Provided upgrade of Inertial Test Reference System software for Navigation Critical Distribution System compatibility.
• Assisted in the development of contract deliverables, including Prime Item Development Specification, Software User’s Manual, and User’s Guide for Test Program Set Development.

Together, Honeywell and EXB developed the IDTS software in a Windows environment using MATLAB, C++ and over 16,000 lines of code. The system was evaluated in a Lab VIEW environment. The team successfully delivered the system to the Navy and provided delivery support, including sea trials and shipboard visits to integrate the IDTS with the carrier-based systems.