System for calibrating a gyro navigator

• US 5,166,882 A
• Filed: 03/31/1989
• Issued: 11/24/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Stambaugh, John S.
• Primary Examiner(s): CAIN, DAVID C
• Application Number:
  US07/349,381
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 33/318, 33/317 R, 33/317 D, 33/320, 33/321, 33/326, 33/324, 73/504, 73/505, 364/453, 364/454
• US Class Current: 701/220
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 19/42 for indicating rate of turn; for integrating rate of turn
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for calibrating translation equons of a gyro navigator of a submarine. A value of velocity and a value of position of the submarine are produced by using values of acceleration sensed by accelerometers in the navigation gyro. The value of velocity and position are produced with the aid of the translation equations. This value of velocity and value of position are compared with a value of velocity and a value position as produced by a more accurate and independent source. A comparison is made with the aid of Kalman filter. Any difference obtained during a comparison is used in order to calibrate the translation equations of the gyro navigator.

Claims

1. A system for improving the accuracy of a gyro navigator of a submarine comprising:

(a) gyro navigator means for providing a first value of velocity Y and first value of and position of the submarine in relation to a fixed inertial reference frame;

(b) means on the submarine for providing a second set of more precise independently determined value of velocity and position of the submarine in relation to a fixed inertial reference frame; and

(c) means for comparing the first value and the second values and for providing a set of difference in the velocity and a difference in the value of position to the gyro navigator means to improve the accuracy of the gyro navigator means.

2. A system for improving the accuracy of a gyro navigator of a submarine, comprising:

(a) a gyro navigatior having both gyros and and accelerometers therein, the gyros bein used for sensing the orientation of the accelerometers, and the accelerometers being used for sensing the acceleration forces on the submarine, the gyro navigator providing values of the orientation and acceleration;

(b) a set of translation equations having gyro error terms therein for accepting the values of orientation and acceleration and for providing changes in velocity and position of the submarine;

(c) a set of navigation equations for accepting the changes in velocity and position and for providing a calculated value of velocity and a calculated value of position of the submarine;

(d) fourth means for providing more accurate independently determined value of velocities and positions of the submarine than the calculated velocities and positions of the submarine; and

(e) fifth means for comparing the calculated value of velocity and calculated value of position and the independent velocity and a position for providing differences between the calculated and independent values of velocity and position, in order to calibrate the gyro error terms, so that velocity of and position that are produced by the gyro navigator are more accurate.

3. The calibration system of claim 2 wherein the fifth means is a Kalman filter.

4. The calibration system of claim 3 wherein the Kalman filter, the set of translation equations and set of navigation equations are built into a navigation computer.