Attitude determination using a global positioning system

• US 6,580,389 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2001
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Speyer, Jason L., Mutuel, Laurence H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mull, Fred H
• Application Number:
  US09/928,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.11, 342/357.14, 701/216
• US Class Current: 342/357.31
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/53 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0247 Determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0825 using mathematical models

Abstract

An apparatus and method for vehicle orientation determination is disclosed. A typical method comprises the steps of receiving position and velocity information data from a global positioning system receiver unit, receiving vehicle dynamics information data from one or more vehicle dynamics sensors and determining a vehicle attitude from the position and velocity information and the vehicle dynamics information data using a Kalman filter.

Claims

1. A method of vehicle attitude determination, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving position and velocity information data from a global positioning system receiver operating with only a single global positioning system antenna;

(b) receiving vehicle dynamics information data from one or more vehicle dynamics sensors; and

(c) determining a vehicle attitude from the position and velocity information and the vehicle dynamics information data using a Kalman filter;

wherein the vehicle attitude is determined without inertial measurement information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the Kalman filter has a linear structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the Kalman filter is an extended Kalman filter.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude comprises the substep of selecting a gain matrix for the Kalman filter based upon a fixed external parameter.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the Kalman filter uses a solution to vector equations, x(k+1)=Φ

x(k)+Bu(k) and z(k)=Cx(k)+v(k), wherein x is a vehicle state vector, Φ

is a vehicle dynamics matrix, B is a vehicle control efficiency matrix, u is a vehicle control vector based upon the vehicle dynamics information data, z is a measurement vector based upon the position and velocity information data, C is a measurement coefficient matrix and v is a noise vector.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the vehicle dynamics matrix and the vehicle control efficiency matrix are based upon vehicle parameters and the measurement coefficient matrix and noise vector are based upon global positioning receiver parameters.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the Kalman filter uses a gain matrix, L_k=PC^TV⁻

1, where P is a solution to a Riccati matrix equation and V is a measurement noise covariance matrix.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the state vector includes inertial positions, attitude angles, body axis speeds and angular rates of the vehicle.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the control vector includes deflections of vehicle control surfaces.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the vehicle control efficiency matrix includes efficiency values for vehicle control surfaces.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude comprises the sub step of linearizing the position and velocity information.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude is performed in a wind axis coordinate system.

13. An article of manufacture embodying logic to perform a method of vehicle attitude determination comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving position and velocity information data from a global positioning system receiver operating with only a single global positioning system antenna;

(b) receiving vehicle dynamics information data from one or more vehicle dynamics sensors; and

(c) determining a vehicle attitude from the position and velocity information data and the vehicle dynamics information data using a Kalman filter;

wherein the vehicle attitude is determined without inertial measurement information.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the Kalman filter has a linear structure.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the Kalman filter is an extended Kalman filter.

16. The article of claim 13, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude comprises the substep of selecting a gain matrix for the Kalman filter based upon a fixed external parameter.

17. The article of claim 13, wherein the Kalman filter uses a solution to vector equations, x(k+1)=Φ

x(k)+Bu(k) and z(k)=Cx(k)+v(k), wherein x is a vehicle state vector, Φ

is a vehicle dynamics matrix, B is a vehicle control efficiency matrix, u is a vehicle control vector based upon the vehicle dynamics information data, z is a measurement vector based upon the position and velocity information data, C is a measurement coefficient matrix and v is a noise vector.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the vehicle dynamics matrix and the vehicle control efficiency matrix are based upon vehicle parameters and the measurement coefficient matrix and noise vector are based upon global positioning receiver parameters.

19. The article of claim 17, wherein the Kalman filter uses a gain matrix, L_k=PC^TV⁻

1, where P is a solution to a Riccati matrix equation and V is a measurement noise covariance matrix.

20. The article of claim 17, wherein the state vector includes inertial positions, attitude angles, body axis speeds and angular rates of the vehicle.

21. The article of claim 17, wherein the control vector includes deflections of vehicle control surfaces.

22. The article of claim 17, wherein the vehicle control efficiency matrix includes efficiency values for vehicle control surfaces.

23. The article of claim 13, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude comprises the substep of linearizing the position and velocity information.

24. The article of claim 13, wherein the step of determining a vehicle attitude is performed in a wind axis coordinate system.

25. A system for vehicle orientation determination, comprising:

(a) a global positioning system receiver for determining position and velocity information data operating with only a single global positioning system antenna;

(b) one or more vehicle dynamics sensors for determining vehicle dynamics information data; and

(c) an attitude processor communicatively coupled to the global positioning system receiver unit and the one or more vehicle dynamics sensors for determining a vehicle attitude from the position and velocity information data and the vehicle dynamics information data using a Kalman filter;

wherein the vehicle attitude is determined without inertial measurement information.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the Kalman filter has a linear structure.

27. The system of claim 25, wherein the Kalman filter is an extended Kalman filter.

28. The system of claim 25, wherein the attitude processor selects a gain matrix for the Kalman filter based upon a fixed external parameter.

29. The system of claim 25, wherein the Kalman filter uses a solution to vector equations, x(k+1)=Φ

x(k)+Bu(k) and z(k)=Cx(k)+v(k), wherein x is a vehicle state vector, Φ

is a vehicle dynamics matrix, B is a vehicle control efficiency matrix, u is a vehicle control vector based upon the vehicle dynamics information data, z is a measurement vector based upon the position and velocity information data, C is a measurement coefficient matrix and v is a noise vector.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the vehicle dynamics matrix and the vehicle control efficiency matrix are based upon vehicle parameters and the measurement coefficient matrix and noise vector are based upon global positioning receiver parameters.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the Kalman filter uses a gain matrix, L_k=PC^TV⁻

1, where P is a solution to a Riccati matrix equation and V is a measurement noise covariance matrix.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein the state vector includes inertial positions, attitude angles, body axis speeds and angular rates of the vehicle.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the control vector includes deflections of vehicle control surfaces.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the vehicle control efficiency matrix includes efficiency values for vehicle control surfaces.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the attitude processor linearizes the position and velocity information.

36. The system of claim 25, wherein the attitude processor determines the vehicle attitude in a wind axis coordinate system.