Multi-mode receiver (MMR) based inertial integration

• US 10,066,944 B1
• Filed: 03/29/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: McNamara, Jeffrey B., Doty, James H., Gavrilets, Vladislav, Tatham, Gilles, Oltrogge, Jesse W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam M
• Application Number:
  US15/473,406
• Time in Patent Office: 524 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 13/503 Fly-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/1654 with electromagnetic compass
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/49 whereby the further system is an inertial position system, e.g. loosely-coupled

Abstract

Systems for multi-mode receiver (MMR)-based inertial integration of position solutions replace expensive IRUs with lower-grade but high-performance inertial sensors and GNSS-assisted MMRs, collecting inertial position data indicative of an aircraft position and integrating the inertial data with georeferenced position data within the MMRs. The inertial sensors may include microelectromechanical attitude and heading reference systems capable of generating coasted position solutions based on secondary inertial data and integrated with georeferenced data when it is available. The coasted position solutions may be used as a standby alternative to primary integrated solutions, or serve as an additional primary position solution.

Claims

1. A multi-mode receiver (MMR)-based navigation system, comprising:

at least one inertial reference unit (IRU) comprising;

at least one first inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to generate first platform-referenced position data associated with an aircraft; and

at least one first processor coupled to the at least one first IMU and configured to output the first platform-referenced position data to at least one of a multi-mode receiver (MMR) associated with the aircraft and a user system of the aircraft;

at least one second IMU configured to generate second platform-referenced position data associated with the aircraft;

the at least one multi-mode receiver (MMR) coupled to the at least one IRU and the at least one second IMU and comprising;

at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver configured to receive one or more satellite-based navigation signals from a source external to the aircraft; and

at least one second processor coupled to the GNSS receiver and configured to;

receive the at least one first platform-referenced position data from the at least one first IRU;

receive the second platform-referenced position data from the at least one second IMU;

generate georeferenced position data associated with the aircraft based on the one or more satellite-based navigation signals;

generate at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the first platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the second platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one pure inertial position solution based on the second platform-referenced position data;

output the at least one pure inertial position solution to a standby display; and

output one or more of the at least one first integrated position solution and the at least one second integrated position solution to the at least one user system.

2. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one IRU includes at least one air-data IRU (ADIRU) coupled to at least one first air data module (ADM), the first ADM coupled to one or more air data sensors, the at least one first processor configured to;

receive first air data from the at least one first ADM; and

output the first air data to the at least one MMR;

and

the at least one MMR is coupled to at least one second ADM, the second ADM coupled to the one or more air data sensors, and the at least one second processor is configured to;

receive second air data from the at least one second ADM;

generate the at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the first platform-referenced position data, and the first air data;

generate the at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the second platform-referenced position data, and the second air data; and

generate the at least one pure inertial position solution based on one or more of the second platform-referenced position data and the second air data.

3. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 2, wherein the one or more air data sensors include one or more of a pitot tube, a static port, an angle of attack (AoA) sensor, and a total air temperature (TAT) sensor.

4. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 1, wherein the at least one second IMU includes at least one of a magnetometer, a compass, and a microelectromagnetic (MEMS) IMU.

5. A multi-mode receiver (MMR)-based navigation system, comprising:

at least one first inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to generate first platform-referenced position data associated with an aircraft;

at least one MMR coupled to the at least one first IMU, the at least one MMR comprising;

at least one satellite-based receiver configured to receive one or more satellite-based navigational signals from at least one source external to the aircraft;

at least one first processor coupled to the at least one satellite-based receiver and configured to;

generate georeferenced position data associated with the aircraft based on the one or more satellite-based navigational signals;

receive the first platform-referenced position data from the at least one first IMU;

generate at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the first platform-referenced position data; and

output the at least one first integrated position solution to the at least one user system;

and

at least one AHRS coupled to the at least one MMR and comprising;

at least one second IMU configured to generate the second platform-referenced position data; and

at least one second processor coupled to the at least one second IMU and configured to;

receive the georeferenced position data from the at least one MMR;

generate at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the second platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one pure inertial position solution based on the second platform-referenced position data;

output the at least one second integrated position solution to the at least one user system; and

output the at least one pure inertial position solution to at least one standby display.

6. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one MMR is coupled to at least one first air data module (ADM), the first ADM coupled to one or more air data sensors, the at least one first processor configured to;

receive first air data from the at least one first ADM; and

generate the at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the first platform-referenced position data, and the first air data;

and

the at least one AHRS is coupled to at least one second ADM, the second ADM coupled to the one or more air data sensors, the at least one second processor configured to;

receive second air data from the at least one second ADM;

generate the at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the second platform-referenced position data, and the second air data; and

generate the at least one pure inertial position solution based on one or more of the second platform-referenced position data and the second air data.

7. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 6, wherein the at least one first processor is configured to:

receive the second platform-referenced position data from the at least one AHRS;

generate the at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the second platform-referenced position data; and

output the at least one second integrated position solution to the at least one user system.

8. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 6, wherein the one or more air data sensors include one or more of a pitot tube, a static port, an angle of attack (AoA) sensor, and a total air temperature (TAT) sensor.

9. The MMR-based navigation system of claim 5, wherein:

the at least one first IMU includes at least one navigation-grade IMU; and

the at least one second IMU includes at least one of a magnetometer, a compass, and a microelectromagnetic (MEMS) IMU.

10. A multi-mode receiver (MMR)-based navigation system, comprising:

at least one first navigation-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to generate first platform-referenced position data associated with an aircraft;

at least one second IMU configured to generate second platform-referenced position data associated with the aircraft, the second IMU including at least one of a magnetometer, a compass, and a microelectromagnetic (MEMS) IMU;

and

at least one MMR coupled to one or more of the at least one first IMU and the at least one second IMU, the at least one MMR comprising;

at least one global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver configured to receive one or more navigational signals from at least one source external to the aircraft; and

at least one first processor coupled to the at least one GNSS receiver and configured to;

generate georeferenced position data associated with the aircraft based on the one or more navigational signals;

receive one or more of the first platform-referenced position data and the second platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the first platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data and the second platform-referenced position data;

generate at least one pure inertial position solution based on the second platform-referenced position data;

output one or more of the at least one first integrated position solution and the at least one second integrated position solution to at least one user system associated with the aircraft; and

output the at least one pure inertial position solution to at least one standby display associated with the aircraft.

11. The MMR-based navigation solution of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one MMR is coupled to at least one of a first air data module (ADM) and a second ADM, the first ADM and the second ADM coupled to one or more air data sensors, and the at least one first processor is further configured to;

receive first air data associated with the aircraft from the at least one first ADM;

receive second air data associated with the aircraft from the at least one second ADM;

generate the at least one first integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the first platform-referenced position data, and the first air data,

generate the at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the georeferenced position data, the second platform-referenced position data, and the second air data; and

generate the at least one pure inertial position solution based on one or more of the second platform-referenced position data and the second air data.

12. The MMR-based navigation solution of claim 11, wherein the at least one MMR is a first MMR coupled to the at least one first IMU and comprising at least one first GNSS receiver, further comprising:

at least one air data attitude and heading reference system (ADAHRS) coupled to the at least one second IMU and the at least one second air data sensor, the at least one ADAHRS comprising;

at least one second GNSS receiver configured to receive the one or more navigational signals; and

at least one third processor coupled to the second GNSS receiver and configured to;

generate second georeferenced position data based on the one or more navigational signals;

receive the second platform-referenced position data from the at least one second IMU;

receive the second air data from the at least one second ADM; and

generate the at least one second integrated position solution based on one or more of the second georeferenced position data, the second platform-referenced position data, and the second air data.

13. The MMR-based navigation solution of claim 10, wherein the at least one first IMU is configured to output the first platform-referenced position data to the at least one user system.

14. The MMR-based navigation solution of claim 10, wherein the at least one second IMU is configured to output the second platform-referenced position data to the at least one user system.

15. The MMR-based navigation solution of claim 10, wherein the at least one user system includes one or more of a display system, a flight control system, a flight management system (FMS), and a fly-by-wire (FBW) system.