Inertial sensor tracking system

• US 20070241886A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 10/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InSeT Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: InSeT Systems LLC
• Inventors: Breeding, Russell
• Granted Patent: US 7,400,246 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/66 Ring laser gyrometers
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons

Abstract

The INERTIAL SENSOR TRACKING SYSTEM is an overall system installation consisting of wireless body pack transmitters, broadband telemetry transceivers, computer and monitoring equipment, and emergency power generation for tracking personnel in an underground mine environment. The system is designed to function with normal primary power and on battery operation in the event of an emergency. In the past inertial sensors have been large spinning mass gyroscopes and large mass-based accelerometers. These inertial sensors have required high voltage three phase electrical supplies. The “wearable” body pack must be battery operated and the sensors must be small and lightweight. Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEM) sensors fulfill both the requirements of low weight and low power consumption. The accuracy of the MEM sensor has been developed sufficiently to incorporate, with de-noising algorithms, an accurate position-sensing device. The proliferation of broadband TCP/IP protocol based RF systems provides a standardized medium of transmission, which will work in an underground environment.

Claims

1. What I claim as my invention, is the INERTIAL SENSOR TRACKING SYSTEM will track personnel, equipped with the wireless body pack, in an underground mine without external navigation aids, as well as machinery fitted with inertial sensors. External navigation aids are celestial tracking devices, terrestrial visual aids, radio frequency i.e. RADAR, hyperbolic, satellite (GPS), or a combination of GPS and terrestrial oriented devices, such as Differential GPS or Pseudolite ranging. The Wireless Body Pack Transmitter utilizes three-dimensional motion to update a starting position, resulting in accurate location to the tracking grid coordinate system. The inertial sensor may be Micro-Electro-Mechanical (MEMS), Fiber Optic Gyro (FOG), Interferometric Fiber Optic Gyro (IFOG), Ring Laser Gyro (RLG), Dual Miniature Attitude Reference System (DMARS-R or DMARS-I) technology. The INERTIAL SENSOR TRACKING SYSTEM utilizes MEMS sensor technology for personnel and machinery.