Manual

PNI Sensor Corporation DOC#1014688 r06
TCM User Manual – July 2013 Page 2
2 Introduction
Thank you for purchasing PNI Sensor Corporation’s TCM XB (pn 12810) or TCM MB (pn
13095) tilt-compensated 3-axis digital compass. The TCM is a high-performance, low-power
consumption, tilt-compensated electronic compass module that incorporates PNI’s advanced
magnetic distortion compensation and calibration scoring algorithms to provide industry-leading
heading accuracy. The TCM combines PNI’s patented magneto-inductive sensors and
measurement circuit technology with a 3-axis MEMS accelerometer for unparalleled cost
effectiveness and performance.
PNI recognizes not all applications allow for significant tilt during calibration, so multiple
calibration methods are available to ensure optimized performance can be obtained in the real
world. These include Full-Range Calibration, when ≥45° of tilt is possible during calibration,
2D Calibration when constrained to calibration in a horizontal or near-horizontal plane, and
Limited-Tilt Calibration when tilt is constrained to <45° but >5° of tilt is possible.
PNI also recognizes conditions may change over time, and to maintain superior heading accuracy
it may be necessary to recalibrate the compass. So the TCM incorporates Hard-Iron-Only
Calibration to easily account for gradual changes in the local magnetic distorting components.
Plus, the accelerometer can be periodically recalibrated in the field to maintain maximum
accuracy.
These advantages make PNI’s TCM the choice for applications that require the highest accuracy
and performance anywhere in the world under a wide range of conditions. Applications for the
TCM include:
Unmanned vehicles – underwater (UUV), ground (UGV), & aerial (UAV)
Far target locaters and laser range finders
Dead reckoning systems
Systems in which the tilt angles used for calibration are physically constrained
With its many applications, the TCM incorporates a flexible and adaptable command set. Many
parameters are user-programmable, including reporting units, a wide range of sampling
configurations, output damping, and more.
We’re sure the TCM will help you to achieve the greatest performance from your system. Thank
you for selecting the TCM.