ESTIMATION OF AN INITIAL CONDITION INERTIAL REFERENCE FRAME

• US 20130041618A1
• Filed: 08/12/2011
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Karnick, Drew A., Kraetz, William Francis
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: F41G 7/007 Preparatory measures taken before the launching of the guided missiles
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/00 Gyroscopes; Turn-sensitive devices using vibrating masses; Turn-sensitive devices without moving masses; Measuring angular rate using gyroscopic effects
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/005 initial alignment, calibration or starting-up of inertial devices

Abstract

In one embodiment, an inertial device for determining an initial condition reference frame for a body is provided. The inertial device comprises at least one inertial measurement unit, one or more processing devices, and one or more memory devices. The inertial measurement unit provides rotation information along at least one axis to the one or more processing devices. The one or more processing devices uses the rotation information to estimate the current attitude of the body, based on estimates of a total rotation angle from experienced by the body from the beginning of body motion to when the inertial measurement unit initialized.

Claims

1. An inertial device for determining an initial condition inertial reference frame for a body, the inertial device comprising:

at least one inertial measurement unit (IMU) configured to provide rotation information along at least one axis;

one or more processing devices coupled to the at least one IMU;

one or more memory devices coupled to the one or more processing devices, wherein the one or more memory devices include instructions which, when executed by the one or more memory devices, cause the one or more processing devices to;

receive rotation information from the IMU along at least one axis, the rotation information starting at a first time;

estimate a rate profile for the body from a second time that is prior to the first time, to the first time, based on a model spin-up characteristic for the body corresponding to a time prior to the first time through at least the first time;

integrate across the rate profile to determine an accumulated rotational angle for the body from the second time to the first time; and

send an indication of the accumulated rotation angle for later use.

2. The inertial device of claim 1, wherein the instruction to estimate a rate profile includes:

an n-th order fit to the sampled data, wherein the n-th order fit comprises a first order fit, higher order polynomial fit.

3. The inertial device of claim 1, wherein the model of rotation for the body comprises one of a first order model, a higher order polynomial, or a model that accounts for inertia.

4. The inertial device of claim 1, wherein the body corresponds to a body of a weapon released from an aircraft.

5. The inertial device of claim 1, wherein the IMU provides information along three axes, wherein the three axes comprise roll, pitch, and yaw axes.

6. The inertial device of claim 1, wherein the second time corresponds to a time when the body began its motion.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the n-th order model is a first order model.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the n-th order model is a polynomial.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the n-th order model is a polynomial that accounts for inertia.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the object is a weapon released from an aircraft.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein a first order fit is performed on the sample data.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein a higher order fit is performed on the sample data.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the second time corresponds to a time when the object began its motion.

7. A method of estimating an initial condition inertial reference frame for an object, the method comprising:

determining a model of rotation for the object, along at least one axis, the model corresponding to a time prior to the first time;

sampling rotation information along the at least one axis, the rotation information starting at a first time;

performing a first fit to the sampled rotation information to a second time, which is prior to the first time;

applying a model spin-up characteristic that describes body rotational rate for each of the at least one axis from the first time to the second time;

estimating a rate profile for the object along the at least one axis by performing a second fit through the model spin-up characteristic and first fit;

integrating across the rate profile to determine an accumulated rotational angle for the body from the second time to the first time along the at least one axis populating a rotation matrix with the accumulated rotational angle information and determining object orientation;

adjusting the accumulated rotation angle with incremental angle changes in each measured axis.

15. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable code, wherein the code comprises instructions that cause a computer device to:

receive rotation information from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) along at least one axis, the rotation information starting at a first time;

estimate a rate profile for a body corresponding to the IMU from a second time that is prior to the first time, to the first time, based on a model spin-up characteristic for the body corresponding to a time prior to the first time through at least the first time;

integrate across the rate profile to determine an accumulated rotational angle for the body from the second time to the first time; and

provide the accumulated rotation angle for later use.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the IMU provides rotation information along three axes, wherein the three axes comprise roll, pitch, and yaw axes.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the body corresponds to a body of a weapon released from an aircraft.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the model spin-up characteristic is one of a first order model, a higher order polynomial, or a model that accounts for inertia.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the second time corresponds to a time when the body began motion.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second time corresponds to weapon release.