Integrated flight information and control system

• US 6,389,333 B1
• Filed: 05/10/2000
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Kornfeld, Richard P., Hansman, R. John, Deyst, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Louis-Jacques, Jacques H.
• Application Number:
  US09/462,312
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/4, 701/5, 701/6, 701/14, 701/120, 701/200, 701/207, 244/3.2, 244/177, 244/3.16, 340/975, 731/78.R
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 23/00 Combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value, e.g. for aircraft; Combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement, e.g. distance, speed or acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/003 for aircraft positioning relative to the ground

Abstract

An improved navigation and display system especially suitable for small aircraft rapidly determines the attitude (roll and pitch) of an aircraft from measurements made by an inexpensive, single receiver and antenna responsive to signals obtained from a satellite positioning system, e.g., the Global Positioning System. In contrast to conventional attitude navigation systems, which determine and display conventional (body-axis referenced) pitch angle, the present system determines and displays the “pseudo-attitude” or stability axis roll and pitch (flight path) angle, so that the pilot has an instantaneous comprehension of the actual flight path angle of the aircraft without needing to correct for angle of attack as in conventional attitude information systems. A Kalman filter with a short (˜0.5 second) time constant provides data at a sufficient rate (e.g., ˜10 Hz) to enable real-time flight with the system. With the additional availability of measured or estimated angle of attack, this system can also display conventional roll and pitch attitude angles. The pseudo-attitude data is incorporated into an integrated flight information system which derives all its data from the single GPS sensor and which presents all the information needed for navigation and control of the aircraft in which it is mounted.

Claims

1. A navigation system for mounting on a vehicle for determining the stability axis flight path angle γ

and stability axis roll angle φ

_s of said vehicle while undergoing arbitrary but balanced maneuvers along a flight path through space with respect to a reference frame, said system comprising;

A. a navigation processor including;

(1) measuring means for measuring at least one of the position or velocity of said vehicle as it moves along said path;

(2) means responsive to said measurements for extracting estimates of the velocity and acceleration of said vehicle at successive positions along said path; and

(3) processing means for calculating the flight path angle γ and

stability axis roll angle φ

_s corresponding to said estimates; and

B. a navigation display for displaying said angles for navigating said vehicle in accordance therewith.

2. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which said estimate extracting means includes a filter:

A. having at least three integrators for forming estimates of jerk, acceleration, and velocity;

B. receiving as inputs said position measurements; and

C. providing as outputs at least said velocity and acceleration estimates for said processing means.

3. A navigation system according to claim 2 in which said filter is characterized by a response time sufficiently short as to enable real-time navigation of said vehicle in accordance with said display.

4. A navigation system according to claim 3 in which said response time is of the order of less than one second.

5. A navigation system according to claim 2 in which said filter receives as further input a process noise variance characteristic of the vehicle in which said navigation system is mounted.

6. A navigation system according to claim 5 provided in a single unit transportable from vehicle to vehicle.

7. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which said filter comprises a plurality of separate and independent filters, each providing a component of the vehicle velocity as output therefrom for calculation of said flight path angle γ

in accordance therewith.

8. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which said position measuring means comprises a single satellite positioning system receiver providing measurements of the position of said vehicle with respect to an earth-based reference system.

9. A navigation system according to claim 8 in which said processing means determines from said velocity and acceleration estimates a local horizontal reference relative to said reference frame and associated with said estimates and thereafter determines said stability roll angle φ

_s therefrom.

10. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which the flight path angle γ

and stability axis roll angle φ

_s provide the primary attitude information from which the vehicle is maneuvered.

11. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which the flight path angle γ

and stability axis roll angle Us provide supplemental attitude information in connection with maneuver of the vehicle.

12. A navigation system according to claim 1 in which said estimate extracting means including a Kalman filter having multiple integrators for providing said velocity and acceleration estimates and characterized by a response time sufficiently short as to enable real-time control of the attitude of said vehicle in accordance with said display.

13. A navigation system according to claim 12 in which said processing means determines from said velocity and acceleration estimates a local horizontal reference relative to said reference frame and associated with said estimates and thereafter determines said stability roll angle φ

_s therefrom.

14. A navigation system for determining the stability axis flight path angle γ

of a vehicle undergoing arbitrary but balanced maneuvers along a flight path through space with respect to a reference frame, comprising;

A. means for measuring at least the position or velocity of the vehicle with respect to said frame as it undergoes said maneuvers;

B. means responsive to said position measurements for determining the velocity of said vehicle along said path;

C. means for calculating said flight path angle from said velocity.

15. A navigation system according to claim 14 in which said velocity determining means includes a satellite positioning receiver aboard said vehicle and providing as output measurements of the position of said vehicle with respect to said reference frame.

16. A navigation system according to claim 15 in which said estimate extracting means comprises a Kalman filter adapted to receive said position measurements as input and to provide estimates of said vehicle velocity as output.

17. A navigation system according to claim 16 in which said filter comprises a plurality of separate and independent filters, each providing a component of the vehicle velocity as output therefrom.

18. A navigation system according to claim 17 in which said filter comprises a triple integrator filter forming estimates of the jerk, velocity, and acceleration of said vehicle as it moves along said flight path.

19. A navigation system according to claim 18 in which said calculating means further includes means responsive to velocity and acceleration outputs of said filter for determining the stability axis roll angle φ

_s therefrom.

20. A navigation system according to claim 19 having a time constant on the order of one second or less whereby said vehicle may be navigated in accordance with the flight path angle and stability axis roll angle calculated by said navigation system.

21. Apparatus for determining the conventional attitude of an aircraft undergoing arbitrary flight path maneuvers, comprising:

A. means providing measurement of the stability axis flight path velocity and acceleration of the aircraft in a first, locally stationary frame;

B. means for determining the stability axis flight path angle of the aircraft in a second, stability frame, from orthogonal velocity components measured in said first frame;

C. means for determining the roll of the aircraft in said second frame in an arbitrary but balanced banking maneuver from the aircraft velocity measured in said first frame, the lift in said second frame as determined from the normal flight path acceleration component in said second frame, and the gravitational acceleration component in said second frame normal to the flight path;

D. means for determining the angle-of-attack of said aircraft; and

E. means for transforming the pitch and roll in said second frame to a third, body-axis frame in accordance with said angle of attack.

22. A method of navigating a vehicle through space along an arbitrary flight path while undergoing arbitrary but balanced maneuvers with respect to a reference frame, comprising:

A. repeatedly measuring at least one of position or velocity of the vehicle as it undergoes said maneuvers;

B. forming estimates of the velocity and acceleration of said vehicle at said positions from said measurements;

C. determining the stability axis flight path angle γ

from said velocity estimates;

D. determining from said velocity and acceleration estimates a local horizontal reference corresponding thereto;

E. determining the stability axis roll angle Us with respect to said local horizontal reference;

F. navigating said vehicle in accordance with the calculated flight path angle γ and

stability axis roll angle φ

_s.

23. The method of claim 22 which includes the step of measuring said positions by means of a satellite positioning system providing position measurements with respect to said reference frame.

24. The method of claim 23 which includes the step of determining said local horizontal reference based on calculations of the normal component of the vehicle acceleration along said path as determined from said acceleration estimates.

25. The method of claim 24 which includes the step of determining said velocity and acceleration estimates by means of a Kalman filter having multiple integrators for providing said estimates.

26. The method of claim 25 in which said filter is characterized by a response time sufficiently short as to enable a real-time control of the attitude of said vehicle in accordance with said fight path angle γ

and said stability axis roll angle φ

_s .

27. The method of claim 26 in which said filter comprises a triple integrator filter forming estimates of the jerk, velocity, and acceleration of said vehicle as it moves along said flight path.

28. The method of claim 26 in which the flight path angle γ

and stability axis roll angle φ

_s comprises the primary attitude display for navigation of said vehicle.

29. The method of claim 26 in which includes the step of displaying the flight path angle γ

and stability axis roll angle φ

_s for navigation in accordance therewith.

30. An integrated flight information and control system for navigation and control of a vehicle, comprising:

A. means in said vehicle for determining the position and velocity of said vehicle; and

B. means responsive to outputs from said determining means for determining navigation and control parameters for said vehicle, said parameters including at least the stability axis pseudo-attitude of said vehicle.

31. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 30 in which said means for determining position and velocity comprises a single GPS system.

32. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 30 which further includes information display means for displaying said parameters for navigation and control in accordance therewith.

33. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 32 in which said display means includes at least a primary flight display and in which said parameters displayed in said display include at least the ground speed and ground track heading of said vehicle in addition to said pseudo-attitude.

34. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 33 in which said parameters additionally include the position, altitude, and vertical speed of said vehicle.

35. An integrated flight information and control system according to either claims 30 or 34 which further includes means responsive to said parameters for controlling the flight of said vehicle along a flight path in accordance with said parameters.

36. An integrated flight information and control system according to either claims 30 or 35 in which said parameters are determined from data supplied by a single GPS receiver in said vehicle.

37. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 30 which further includes means responsive to said parameters for controlling the flight of said vehicle along a flight path in accordance with said parameters.

38. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 31 in which said display means includes pseudo-attitude command bars providing a reference for navigation and control of said aircraft along a defined flight path.

39. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 30 in which the means responsive to outputs from said determining means includes a filter having at least three integrators for forming estimates of jerk, acceleration, and velocity based on measurements of velocity or position and providing as outputs estimates of velocity and acceleration for determination of pseudo-attitude therefrom.

40. An integrated flight information and control system according to claim 39 in which said filter comprises a plurality of separate and independent filters, each providing a component of the vehicle velocity as output therefrom for calculation of said pseudo-attitude in accordance therewith.