This book has the potential of being extremely useful; certainly it is an ambitions book. In the discussions of the mechanical gyros the disertation flows fairly well. However, once into the optical gyros, the result is just about worthless. The Sagnac Effect is the basis for all optical gyros such as the ring laser and the fibre optic gyro. The discussion of this effect is just about useless. It is virtually impossible to see how one equation follows from the preceding equation. The fringe shift from two interfering beams which rotate in opposite direction is the basis of all optical gyros, but the discussion in Lawrence's book is little more than hand waving. In other words, if the reader has a background in optical physics, then the discussion makes some sense. However, the book must be judged upon its own merits and here I think it fails miserably. So I would recommend the book for the discussion of mechanical gyros but as an introduction to optical gyros I would recommend that the reader look elsewhere. Modern Inertial Technology: Navigation, Guidance, and Control (Mechanical Engineering Series)
This is a good overview to hand a beginning avionics or flight controls engineer who needs to get familiar with the very basic principles of inertial nav. Good coverage of various types of instruments, but many of the designs covered are outdated and of little use in modern design work. Given the paucity of works in this field, I welcomed it as an introductory text, but you could not perform any serious trade studies for a real design with only the knowledge in this book. It doesn't cover GPS in any depth, or the important topic of GPS/INS blending. Other topics missing are a good intro to optical gyros (Sagnac effect) and the overall integration of nav systems (steering modes, landing systems, cooperative nav, effects on weapons delivery, and so on). Still, for the money, I would recommend it to a neophyte who has some extra cash...you have to start somewhere!
The technology in the field is quite advanced, and the research is particulary active and in costant evolution. Producing a comprehensive reference is quite difficult but the author delivers clearly the advantages and disadvantages of each system analyzed in the book. As a guide, the work has neatly reached its goal, since it delivers a clear picture of the current state of art and the trend of each system development. In fact the author is covering every subject quite extensively without the dispersion of innumerable specific technical papers, which are, of course, much more detailed but far from comprehending the scope of the whole field.The only point is the mathematical level,that is maybe too simple for engineers and scientists, and a little bit complicated for the average pilot, one of the most interested user in the field. - Kalman Filter - Real Time Adjusment - Inertial Navigation - Gps'
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