Filter arrangement for generating an estimate of a measured variable influenced by disturbances

• US 5,056,052 A
• Filed: 10/20/1989
• Issued: 10/08/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Detlev Wick, Hans J. Senn
• Original Assignee: Detlev Wick, Hans J. Senn
• Inventors: Wick, Detlev, Senn, Hans J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US07/424,533
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• Field of Search: 364/443, 364/447, 364/453, 364/454, 364/550, 364/459, 364/551.01, 364/554, 364/571.05, 364/572, 364/724.19, 364/724.2
• US Class Current: 702/194
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/38 with north-seeking action by other than magnetic means, e.g. gyrocompasses using earth's rotation

Abstract

A filter arrangement for generating an estimate of a measured variable influenced by disturbances, by means of a filter effecting a weighting of measuring signals characterized by means (50) for achieving a measure of the disturbance and means (52) for changing the weighting of the measuring signal in dependence on the measure of the disturbance. In this way, values of the measured variable which appear during the occurrence of the disturbance are not considered with the filtering or are considered with less weighting. In a tape-suspended restrained meridian gyro a characteristic oscillation of the system serves as the measure for the disturbance.

Claims

1. Filter arrangement for generating an estimate of a measured variable influenced by disturbances by means of a filter effecting a weighting of measuring signals comprising means (50) for achieving a measure of the disturbance and means (52) for changing the weighting of the measuring signal in dependence on the measure of the disturbance.

2. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 1, wherein the filter is a Kalman filter (60).

3. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 2, wherein

(a) the measured variable is the energizing current of a torquer (28) whereby a tape-suspended meridian gyro (12) is restrained to a position of rest, and

(b) a characteristic oscillation of the system formed by the restrained meridian gyro (12) serves as the measure for the disturbance.

4. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 3, including means (66) for generating the variance of said characteristic oscillation.

5. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein the characteristic oscillation used as a measure for the disturbance is an oscillation about a transverse axis (22) perpendicular to the tape axis (20) and the spin axis (18).

6. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 4, wherein the variance of the characteristic oscillation is supplied with delay to the means (52) for adaptive generation of a weighting quantity (r(k)) for the filter (60).

7. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 6, wherein the weighting quantity (r(k)), according to an empirically determined function for the system in question, depends on the delayed variance A.sub.δ

(k) of the characteristic oscillation.

8. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 7, wherein

(a) the filter is a Kalman filter (60) with a state estimator (62) and means (64) for illustrating a co-variance equation, and

(b) the means (64) for illustrating the co-variance equation are controlled by the weighting quality (r(k)).

9. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein the energizing current of the torquer (28) is supplied through a pre-filter (46) comprising a mean value filter (56) and an integrating stage (58) connected downstream.

10. Filter arrangement as set forth in claim 8, wherein the co-variances from the means (64) for illustrating the co-variance equation and the weighting quantity (r(k)) are supplied to means (73) for weighting the filter quality, which means effect a termination of the filtering (70) when a predetermined filter quality is achieved and effect the output of an estimate (72) of the energizing current of the torquer (28).