- Capability group
- Sensing, Timing & Navigation
- Domain
- Critical Technology · Hard Power
- Identifier
- factbase.org/cap/92JJJPB82Q
- Reference
- Inertial navigation system Wikipedia
Papers
11.2k
2020–2024
Paper growth
+8%
2020–24 on 2015–19
Patent families
21.8k
2020–2024
Filed abroad
17%
families in more than one office
In the framework
What the capability covers and what it leaves to others, and the indicators it will be measured by.
Bounds
Covers resilient positioning technology, absorbing the gravitational and magnetic sensing nodes as navigation modalities; satellite constellations belong to the space capabilities of other domains, and navigation warfare to National Security.
Lineage
Carried from v0.0 (formerly Inertial navigation systems) with the same identifier, absorbing Gravitational-force sensors and Magnetic field sensors (retired): the two sensor nodes are modalities of one capacity, positioning without satellites, and persist as its discover-layer indicators.
Indicators
- research publication share in navigation technologiesResearch
- inertial and alternative navigation systems in productionPending
Research
Papers classified to the capability, by year and by the nation of their authors' institutions, 2020–2024. Read from the v0.0 research topics Inertial navigation systems and Gravitational-force sensors and Magnetic field sensors.
Papers by year
The five leading nations, papers by year
Share of papers, 2020–2024
Of papers with a known author nation; 27% have none and are left out.
- 1China30.2%3,055 papers
- 2United States9.8%993 papers
- 3Germany8.4%853 papers
- 4France3.3%334 papers
- 5Russia3.1%315 papers
- 6Italy2.9%294 papers
- 7India2.9%293 papers
- 8United Kingdom2.7%277 papers
- 9Canada2.3%231 papers
- 10Japan2.2%219 papers
Leading institutions, 2020–2024
By fractional count: each paper divided among its authors' institutions.
- 1Wuhan University135fractional papers
- 2Beihang University105fractional papers
- 3Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences100fractional papers
- 4National University of Defense Technology85fractional papers
- 5Huazhong University of Science and Technology79fractional papers
- 6Chinese Academy of Sciences72fractional papers
- 7Leibniz University Hannover63fractional papers
- 8Northwestern Polytechnical University62fractional papers
- 9Southeast University59fractional papers
- 10Technical University of Munich55fractional papers
Patents
Patent families by the nation of origin of their applicants and their earliest priority year, from the CPC and IPC classes the capability is read from. 2025 onwards is incomplete: families are published 18 months after priority.
Families by priority year
The five leading origins, families by year
4,552 applicants filed here in 2015–2024; the five largest held 11% of families (HHI 39 of 10,000: unconcentrated).
Share of families by origin, 2020–2024
- 1China78.3%17,077 families
- 2United States6.0%1,305 families
- 3South Korea4.0%876 families
- 4Japan3.6%789 families
- 5Germany2.8%600 families
- 6France1.1%231 families
- 7United Kingdom0.5%112 families
- 8Taiwan0.5%99 families
- 9Switzerland0.4%98 families
- 10Israel0.3%64 families
Applicants filing most internationally, 2015–2024
Families filed in more than one office, by applicant as the offices name them.
- 1BOSCH GMBH ROBERT384international families
- 2SEIKO EPSON CORP356international families
- 3HONEYWELL INT INC263international families
- 4SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD125international families
- 5HUAWEI TECH CO LTD114international families
- 6THALES SA104international families
- 7SZ DJI TECHNOLOGY CO LTD103international families
- 8QUALCOMM INC100international families
- 9ROBERT BOSCH CO LTD90international families
- 10DENSO CORP69international families
Classification read
- G01C19/00 Gyroscopes and angular-rate sensors · 87.9k documents
- G01C21/10 Inertial navigation and dead reckoning · 72k documents
- G01C21/04 Navigation by terrestrial means, including the earth's magnetic field · 4.6k documents
- G01C21/02 Celestial navigation · 3.6k documents
- G01C21/005 Map and terrain matching from several navigation sources · 18.2k documents
- G01C25/005 Alignment and calibration of inertial devices · 14.1k documents
- G01S19/21 Satellite navigation under jamming and spoofing · 10.8k documents
Shares inventions with
Capabilities whose classes the same families also fall in, by overlap (Jaccard).
- Autonomous Systems & Trusted Autonomy1,645 families · 0.026
- Radar & Radiofrequency Sensing492 families · 0.016
- Uncrewed & Collaborative Systems339 families · 0.014
- Quantum Sensing & Metrology109 families · 0.012
- Advanced Imaging & Photonic Sensing721 families · 0.011
Companies
50 companies in this capability, across 7 regions. The leading 12:
- 1HoneywellHoneywell Aerospace is one of the largest makers of ring-laser-gyro and MEMS inertial navigation systems (HG-series IMUs, embedded GPS/INS) and alternative-navigation products. In 2024 it added the Italian FOG maker Civitanavi.Manufacture
- 2Northrop GrummanMakes LN-series fibre-optic and ring-laser INS for aircraft, ships and submarines, and its German unit Northrop Grumman LITEF is a leading European inertial supplier.Manufacture
- 3SafranSafran Electronics & Defense is a global leader in hemispherical-resonator-gyro (HRG Crystal) and ring-laser INS such as Sigma and Geonyx, and its subsidiary Safran Sensonor makes tactical MEMS gyros.Manufacture
- 4RTXCollins Aerospace supplies assured PNT: M-code GPS/INS, Atlantic Inertial Systems tactical IMUs and Silicon Sensing MEMS gyros, the last through a joint venture with Sumitomo Precision.Manufacture
- 5ThalesProduces ring-laser and MEMS inertial reference systems (TopAxyz, TopStar) for military and civil aircraft, plus hybrid GNSS/INS and anti-jam navigation; ranks among the top international patent filers in this field.Manufacture
- 6Robert BoschThe world's largest MEMS inertial sensor maker (Bosch Sensortec IMUs, automotive gyros used for dead reckoning) and the top international patent applicant in this capability.Manufacture
- 7KearfottLong-standing maker of ring-laser and monolithic-RLG INS/GPS units (KN-4000 series) for US missiles, aircraft, artillery and space vehicles; a subsidiary of Astronautics Corporation of America.Manufacture
- 8Exail TechnologiesExail (formerly iXblue) is a leading fibre-optic-gyro maker whose INS lines (Phins, Marins, Octans, Advans) serve navies, submarines, subsea vehicles and land systems.Manufacture
- 9BAE SystemsBuilds assured-PNT products, including M-code GPS receivers, NavGuard and alternative-navigation modules, for munitions, aircraft and ground vehicles that must work under GNSS denial.Integration
- 10Seiko EpsonUses quartz-crystal sensing in high-stability IMUs (M-G370/M-G570 series) for drones, machinery and navigation; the second-largest international patent applicant in this capability.Manufacture
- 11Analog DevicesLeading supplier of tactical-grade MEMS IMUs and gyroscopes (ADIS165xx/ADIS1657x) built into navigation, guidance and dead-reckoning systems.Manufacture
- 12HexagonHexagon's Autonomy & Positioning division, built from NovAtel, KVH's FOG business (2022) and Septentrio (2025), supplies GNSS/INS, anti-jam (GAJT) and fibre-optic-gyro navigation.Manufacture
