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Abstract

A gyro compass having a gyro case housing therein a gyro and supported with freedom of three axes, functions for outputting a signal corresponding to an inclined angle of the gyro spin axis relative to the horizontal plane and a function for applying a torque around a vertical axis of the gyro case in proportion to an input signal, and a controller supplied with the signal corresponding to the inclined angle and a latitude value at which the gyro compass is located, wherein a constant relative to the input latitude value is set by the controller after the gyro compass is energized, a signal, which results from differentiating the signal corresponding to the inclined angle during a predetermined time, is added to a signal, which results from multiplying the signal corresponding to the inclined angle with the constant and an added result is set as the input signal, whereby a constant optimum north-seeking movement is carried out regardless of the change of the latitude value to thereby reduce a settle time. Also, the gyro compass having an error corrector supplied with the signal corresponding to the inclined angle, a speed signal of a navigation vehicle and its heading azimuth signal, wherein a bias error caused by the inclined angle of the gyro compass spin axis and an azimuth error caused by the movement of the navigation vehicle are estimated and calculated to thereby reduce an azimuth error caused by the bias error.

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First Claim