1. Project Background

A naval service survey vessel was originally equipped with an aging mechanical gyrocompass as its navigation core. This legacy device suffered severe drawbacks including large heading drift, lengthy warm-up duration, and output limited to heading data only. It failed to meet stringent hull attitude monitoring requirements for long-distance deep-sea high-precision seabed mapping and long-duration special survey missions.

Meanwhile, the vessel raised two mandatory customized requirements for shipboard equipment:

1. Shipborne navigation equipment shall comply with unified military visual standards. All assemblies of the fiber optic gyrocompass, including housing color, metal nameplates and body logos, shall support exclusive ODM customization to align with the appearance standard of existing military equipment on board.
2. The vessel regularly undertakes cross-sea foreign joint survey operations. Instead of simple one-click bilingual switching, the touch terminal shall support dedicated full-English firmware deployment. All menus, parameter labels, alarm prompts and calibration interfaces shall be rewritten in standard international maritime English with no Chinese text retained, enabling independent operation by foreign operators.

Taking full account of demands for high-precision measurement, cabin space optimization, military customization and overseas operations, the naval service survey vessel adopted Qingdao Hangtai split-type fiber optic gyrocompass system to fully replace the outdated mechanical gyrocompass and realize localized upgrading of its navigation system.

2. Modular System Composition

The system adopts a split modular design. All assemblies can be separately installed in the equipment compartment without occupying console space in the wheelhouse, and the four core units are all available for independent ODM customization:

Main Unit – Fiber Optic Gyro Sensing Unit (Blue Octagonal Housing, ODM Color Change Supported)

The core measuring component integrated with high-precision fiber optic gyro sensing elements. An arrow mark on the housing clearly indicates the vessel’s fore-aft installation reference. It continuously outputs complete 6-DOF attitude data: heading, roll, pitch, heave and rate of turn. The housing supports in-depth ODM customization: military green, special industrial gray and other specified protective coatings can be applied upon military demands. Metal-etched nameplates and laser-engraved exclusive vessel serial numbers and custom logos are available to unify the appearance in line with naval vessel equipment specifications. Compact in size, the unit can be placed in idle storage compartments of the equipment cabin without occupying valuable wheelhouse space.

Line Unit (Signal Processing Unit) & Power Unit (Power Drive Unit) (Military Green Cabinets)

Both supporting control cabinets provide full ODM appearance customization with unified military green coating. Internal modules cover line compensation, signal transmission and isolated voltage stabilization, compatible with original ship navigation wiring without extensive cabin circuit reconstruction. Featuring strong anti-electromagnetic interference performance, the system operates stably under complex electromagnetic conditions generated by shipborne radars and high-power motors, and transmits high-precision attitude data to steering gears, voyage data recorders and survey industrial control computers continuously.

Independent Stabilized Power Supply Unit

A dedicated 22V isolated stabilized power supply provides independent power for the entire fiber optic gyrocompass system. It counteracts ship grid voltage fluctuations and temporary power cuts to guarantee uninterrupted attitude data output during long-distance continuous survey missions, complying with power supply standards for naval vessels on extended voyages.

Monitor Unit – Wheelhouse Touch Display Terminal

A compact touch screen mounted on the edge of the wheelhouse console without occupying core navigation and survey operating zones. Instead of basic one-click bilingual switching, the software supports dedicated full-English firmware deployment. A standalone all-English program can be compiled upon vessel overseas operation demands. All parameter labels, function menus, fault alarms, calibration guides and operation pop-ups are rewritten in professional standard IMO maritime English, with zero Chinese text retained at the system bottom layer to support independent operation by foreign seafarers and overseas joint survey crews. Meanwhile, boot screens, device name watermarks and other interface elements can be modified via ODM customization as required.

3. Core Differentiated Application Advantages

1. In-depth ODM Customization for All Units to Meet Military Standardization

Qingdao Hangtai delivers one-stop ODM customization services for all hardware assemblies of the fiber optic gyrocompass:

• Housing Appearance: Protective coating colors of the sensing main unit, line unit and power unit can be adjusted to match unified military tones of the vessel;
• Nameplate & Logo: Custom metal nameplates, laser-engraved body logos, exclusive vessel serial numbers and equipment codes are supported with fully adjustable font and layout styles;
• Terminal Interface: Boot screens, system titles and watermarks can be customized to fit naval equipment filing and visual management specifications.

Thanks to the split structure, the main sensor, power supply and signal cabinets are all installed in the equipment compartment, leaving zero occupation of wheelhouse space without disrupting the layout of original navigation and survey equipment.

2. Dedicated Full-English Firmware Deployment with No Chinese Text for Overseas Joint Missions

Unlike mainstream devices on the market that only support one-click bilingual switching, Hangtai fiber optic gyrocompass allows independent compilation and deployment of dedicated full-English software versions. All texts at the bottom program layer are fully replaced. Standard IMO maritime English terms are adopted for navigation parameters including heading, roll, pitch, heave and rate of turn. Fault alerts, system self-inspection, parameter calibration and communication setup interfaces contain no Chinese characters at all. The solution addresses long-term overseas joint mapping and multinational collaborative operations, eliminating communication barriers caused by mixed multilingual interfaces.

3. Solid-state Wear-free Fiber Optic Architecture Delivers Stable High Precision to Replace Traditional Mechanical Gyros

Conventional liquid-floated mechanical gyros suffer severe heading drift caused by sea waves and temperature variation, plus lengthy mandatory warm-up time. Hangtai fiber optic gyro contains no rotating mechanical parts with zero wear. Stable heading and full attitude data are available immediately after startup. It provides real-time motion compensation for shipborne multibeam echo sounders and sub-bottom profilers, drastically reducing seabed topographic measurement errors and satisfying high-precision marine geographic survey standards of the navy.

4. Split Modular Layout Enables Easy Installation & Maintenance in Confined Ship Cabins

The sensing main unit, supporting power supply and signal assemblies are separately arranged in independent compartments of the equipment cabin, with only a miniature touch terminal placed in the wheelhouse. Daily calibration and fault maintenance can be completed entirely within the equipment cabin without interfering with navigation watchkeeping in the wheelhouse. The whole equipment is reinforced to military standards with moisture-proof, salt-spray resistant and anti-vibration design, adapting to high-humidity and high-salinity deep-sea cabin environments. It maintains long-term stable operation and drastically cuts dry-dock calibration frequency and overall maintenance costs.

4. Project Outcomes

Unified Standardized Military Appearance

All hardware assemblies of the fiber optic gyrocompass are finished with ODM military green coating and customized exclusive vessel nameplates & logos. The unified appearance matches existing military navigation equipment on board and complies with naval vessel visual management and filing specifications.

Full English System Supports Overseas Operations

The vessel is equipped with a dedicated full-English firmware version free of any Chinese text. During cross-sea joint survey missions, foreign cooperating personnel can independently operate the device, adjust parameters and troubleshoot faults, avoiding misjudgment risks brought by mixed Chinese-English bilingual interfaces.

Comprehensive Upgrade of Survey & Navigation Capability

The aging mechanical gyrocompass is fully replaced. Continuous high-precision 6-DOF hull attitude data greatly improves seabed mapping accuracy, supporting multiple batches of special nearshore and open-ocean marine survey tasks with full success.

Efficient Cabin Space Utilization

All sensing, power supply and signal equipment are housed in idle zones of the equipment compartment. No extra large equipment occupies wheelhouse space, resulting in well-organized divided operation zones on the console and optimized workflow for navigation and survey crews.

5. Project Summary

Featuring four core differentiated strengths — full hardware ODM appearance customization, independent deployment of dedicated full-English firmware, high-precision solid-state attitude measurement and space-saving split installation design, Qingdao Hangtai split-type fiber optic gyrocompass successfully completed the replacement and upgrade of outdated mechanical gyrocompasses on the naval service survey vessel. The product flexibly meets multiple special demands of military vessels, including unified military appearance standards, full-English operation for overseas joint surveys and high-precision marine mapping. It provides a highly customizable and mature localized navigation upgrading solution for all types of survey and service vessels of the Chinese Navy.