News | June 19, 2009

KVH Introduces World's Smallest Precision Fiber Optic Gyro

New KVH DSP-1500 fiber optic gyro, with 1.5-inch diameter sensor, offers breakthrough blend of accuracy, low cost, and reliability for stabilization and pointing applications

Middletown, RI /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As compact stabilized optics and pointing systems gain in popularity on land vehicles, aircraft, and vessels, engineers have had difficulty finding ultra-compact gyros that offer the performance and long-term reliability required for smaller and lighter applications. KVH Industries' (Nasdaq: KVHI) new DSP-1500, a miniature, lightweight addition to its successful line of fiber optic gyros (FOGs), is designed to meet these requirements affordably. With a single continuous length of optical fiber wound into a housing only 1.5 inches in diameter, the DSP-1500 offers outstanding performance in an ultra-compact, lightweight package for flexible installations and demanding commercial stabilization and pointing applications.

"Our new DSP-1500 fiber optic gyro delivers exceptional reliability and precision along with a compact design that is truly a departure from other FOGs on the market," explains Jay Napoli, KVH's vice president of FOG/OEM sales. "The DSP-1500's optical sensor is tethered to the power and processing electronics, offering engineers and systems integrators tremendous flexibility during installation. The DSP-1500 is also more affordable than many other FOG solutions while still providing highly accurate stabilization and pointing. As a result, we are able to offer a precision FOG suitable for applications previously unable to use FOGs due to size and weight restrictions, such as night vision and thermal imaging systems, aircraft-mounted gimbaled cameras for law enforcement and homeland security, and shipboard optical systems."

The DSP-1500 is an attractive alternative to other gyro-based stabilization solutions because its optical sensor is only 1.5" in diameter and 0.8" tall, and weighs just 0.09 lbs. Thanks to the tethered design, the sensor itself can be installed separately from the power and processing circuit boards. However, the small size of the DSP-1500 doesn't mean that the unit sacrifices precision and reliability. With a scale factor of 0.1%, and bias stability of <5 degrees/h, it offers extremely low noise and high bandwidth for operation in a wide range of environmental conditions.

Like KVH's other FOG products, the DSP-1500 relies upon KVH's patented Digital Signal Processing (DSP) electronics design, which offers significant performance improvements in such critical areas as bias stability, scale factor linearity, turn-on to turn-on repeatability, and high bandwidth. KVH's DSP electronics design also overcomes the limitations of analog signal processing, virtually eliminating temperature-sensitive drift and rotation errors. As a result, the exceptional low noise (ARW), insensitivity to cross-axis error, and shock and vibration robustness make the DSP-1500 ideal for a variety of demanding applications, including those that require precise measurement of rate and turning angle.

Visit www.fiberopticgyro.com for more information about the DSP-1500 and the rest of KVH's complete line of FOG products.

Note to Editors: Visit press.kvh.com for high-resolution, press-ready images of the DSP-1500 available for download and editorial use.

About KVH Industries, Inc.

This release may contain certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, for example, the functionality, characteristics, quality and performance of KVH's products and technology; anticipated innovation and product development; and customer preferences, requirements and expectations. The actual results could differ materially. Factors that may cause such differences include, among others, those discussed in KVH's most recent Form 10-Q filed with the SEC. KVH assumes no obligation to update its forward-looking statements to reflect new information or developments.

KVH is a registered trademark of KVH Industries, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective companies.

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Joseph (Jay) Napoli

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SOURCE KVH Industries, Inc.