1. Sagnac published in 1913 the first experimetnal observation of the effect of a rotation on the fringe phase shift in an optical interferometer. His discovery has stimulated a century long debate on its meaning and interpretation, an reveals nowadays, 100 years later, that his obervations are universal and exist for any kind of waves, from optical (or electromagnetic) waves to the most recently used matter-waves. With the breakthrough in the discovery of lasers, and lately the discovery of ultra cold atoms, rotation sensors using the Sagnac effect are nowadays reaching the best levels in precision inertial measurement and are currently at the heart of the navigation systems, and could even be used in the future to study precicely the rotation of the earth or to set the frontiers of general relativity.

In the world practice, mass application of pile foundations for various constructions on the ground surface and in the water environment requires prediction of their reliability. This is reached by defining the value of driving pile penetration to diagnose a ground resistance influencing on the construction stability in the process of exploitation. Various methods used in practice have essential drawbacks concerned, first of all, with the safety requirements. Frequently, boggy and water environments make observation near the pile impossible, and inevitable significant concussions of the base (up to 3000g) on which devices are set influence on the their indications while driving.

In this work an autonomous measuring device for moving pile, a design of a sensitive element, a technique for reading information from a mobile part of this device are offered. A technique for information processing and transfer to the operator’s cabin of hydraulic hammer is developed as well. Field tests of measuring system, using Dong Kwang Heavy Industrial Co. Ltd hydraulic hammers for driving piles in the Republic of Korea, gave the opportunity to specify the mathematical model factors of measuring device under real operation conditions and have a measurement error of pile penetration at the final stage not exceeding 0.1 mm. With elastic movements of foundation and a pile being 5-50 cm, it is rather good result, taking into account shocks and vibrations, while driving.

Sagem improvements made in the design, the process and in the control of the HRG help to reach high performances while keeping the intrinsic simplicity of the Coriolis Vibrating Gyros family. Therefore it allows the HRG to challenge the Sagnac Effect Gyros for Strap-Down inertial navigation.

The simplicity derives from many patented innovations which lead to a very com-pact gyro with a very low number of components. The manufacturing takes advantage of this simplified design and of a new automatic tuning and balancing process which reduces sensitivities to mechanical environment. While using a Whole Angle mode of control which allows for a very good scale factor, a new full digital electronics provides gain and phase accuracy at the level needed by the 0,01°/h class of bias performance. The paper explains these choices and presents the results obtained by the Sagem HRG during tests. Thanks to these characteristics, new applications are developed, especially when compactness, low consumption, reliability and maintenance free long term performances are needed as it is the case with Marine Gyrocompass or Marine Attitude and Heading Reference Systems. An automatic calibration during operation, using the ability of the Sagem HRG to change the direction of the vibration while in Whole Angle mode, allows for maintaining the long term performance during all the life of the system. The architecture of the Sagem marine AHRS Blue Naute is presented and many test results are given, including those obtained on marine vessel.

New topology of SAW sensors is considered in this paper. Two criteria are proposed to use for the topology and signal synthesis - a minimum of energy loss during conversion and the maximum sensor sensitivity.

Accurate error equations for SINS are derived with account of nonideal onboard time scale. Comments are given on specific features of SINS behaviour unnoticed earlier using approximate variational equations of INS errors. Error equations are first proposed to improve SINS accuracy not only to analyze it. Limits on SINS accuracy due to quantum noise of Sagnac effect gyros such as laser and fiber-optic gyros and atom interferometers on de Broglie waves are estimated [1].

This paper analyzes the peculiarities of signal reception from satellite radio navigation systems (SRNS) GPS and GLONASS by space-based user equipment. These peculiarities have influence upon the signal search algorithm elaboration. Brief re-view is presented for the main patterns of signal search used by GPS/GLONASS SRNS user equipment. It is demauthor proposes a combined approach when the most suitable search pattern is selected depending on the a priori information on the carrier Doppler drift.

The result of study are proposed analytical tools to determine the number of redundant measuring devices and the description of their location in the block. Implementation of elaborated criteria provides a functional stability for single failure of the one of uniaxial sensors of the appropriate block.

The article presents the results of testing of the inertial measurement unit AIST-350T (figure 1) on the impact of a single mechanical shock (figure 2), broad-band and sinusoidal vibration (figure 4 and 6). Magnitude of vibration at times exceed the permissible levels. During all the tests recorded signals of channels (figure 3, 5, 7). The analysis of the measurement channel errors (table 1, 2 and 3). The material will be useful for developers of inertial measurement units and navigation systems based on them.

The article considers preliminary estimation of dynamic error of an angle-measuring instrument. Estimation is performed with no available standards for dynamic measurement of angles and angular velocities of the required accuracy. The proposed method compares the instrument with a unit of similar static accuracy. The results are exemplified by investigation of the Acutronic AC3367-TC test bench and a test bench for noncontact measurement of the object angular position.