System and method for high accuracy relative navigation

• US 8,019,538 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2007
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Vallot, Lawrence C., Lund, Christopher A., Soehren, Wayne A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/828,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701213-215, 701220-221, 340/988, 342/357.06
• US Class Current: 701/213
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/165 combined with non-inertial navigation instruments

Abstract

A relative navigation system and method are disclosed. The relative navigation system includes a first sensor unit responsive to a motion of a first position, a second sensor unit responsive to a motion of a second position, and a first processing unit associated with at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit and communicatively coupled to the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit. The first processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with first sensor unit information and second sensor unit information.

Claims

1. A relative navigation system, comprising:

a first sensor unit responsive to a motion of a first position;

a second sensor unit responsive to a motion of a second position; and

a first processing unit associated with at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit and communicatively coupled to the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, wherein the first processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with first sensor unit information and second sensor unit information.

2. The relative navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third sensor unit responsive to a motion of a third position; and

a second processing unit associated with the third sensor unit and communicatively coupled to the third sensor unit and at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, wherein the second processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with third sensor unit information and at least one of the first sensor unit information and the second sensor unit information.

3. The relative navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third sensor unit responsive to a motion of a third position; and

a second processing unit associated with the first processing unit and at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, and communicatively coupled to the third sensor unit and at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, wherein the second processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with third sensor unit information and at least one of the first sensor unit information and the second sensor unit information.

4. The relative navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third sensor unit responsive to a motion of a third position; and

a second processing unit associated with the first processing unit, and communicatively coupled to the third sensor unit and at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, wherein the second processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with third sensor unit information and at least one of the first sensor unit information and the second sensor unit information.

5. The relative navigation system of claim 1, further comprising:

a third sensor unit responsive to a motion of a third position; and

a second processing unit not co-located with the first processing unit, the first sensor unit, the second sensor unit, or the third sensor unit, the second processing unit communicatively coupled to the third sensor unit and at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit, wherein the second processing unit is configured to generate relative navigation solution information associated with third sensor unit information and at least one of the first sensor unit information and the second sensor unit information.

6. The relative navigation system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor unit includes a first plurality of inertial sensors, and the second sensor unit includes a second plurality of inertial sensors.

7. The relative navigation system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor unit comprises a first IMU, and the second sensor unit comprises a second IMU.

8. The relative navigation system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sensor unit and the second sensor unit is substantially co-located with a radio-frequency antenna.

9. The relative navigation system of claim 1, wherein the first processing unit is configured to execute at least one of a sensor compensation algorithm, a relative navigation algorithm, and a data fusion algorithm.

10. The relative navigation system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sensor unit, the second sensor unit, and the first processing unit is substantially co-located with an INS/GPS.

11. A relative navigation system, comprising:

a first inertial measurement unit located at a first wing of a craft;

a second inertial measurement unit located at a main body or a second wing of the craft; and

a first processing unit associated with the first inertial measurement unit and communicatively coupled to the first inertial measurement unit and the second inertial measurement unit, the first processing unit including at least a first relative navigation algorithm for generating a first relative navigation solution.

12. The relative navigation system of claim 11, further comprising:

a second processing unit associated with the second inertial measurement unit further located at the second wing of the craft in flight and communicatively coupled to the first inertial measurement unit and the second inertial measurement unit, the second processing unit including at least a second relative navigation algorithm for generating a second relative navigation solution.

13. The relative navigation system of claim 11, further comprising:

at least one of a GPS antenna and an ESM antenna substantially co-located with the first inertial measurement unit.

14. The relative navigation system of claim 11, wherein the first processing unit is configured to execute at least one of a sensor compensation algorithm, a relative navigation algorithm, a data fusion algorithm, and a Kalman filter.

15. A relative navigation method, comprising the steps of:

positioning a first sensor unit and a relative navigation processing unit at a first location on a craft;

positioning a second sensor unit at a second location on the craft;

receiving first sensor information from the first sensor unit;

receiving second sensor information from the second sensor unit;

generating compensated sensor information from the received first sensor information and second sensor information;

generating relative navigation solution information associated as a function of the compensated sensor information;

receiving baseline information; and

generating corrective feedback information as a function of at least the relative navigation solution information and the baseline information.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of outputting the relative navigation solution information to a navigation system.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating corrective feedback information step is performed with a Kalman filter.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the corrective feedback information includes a plurality of sensor compensation coefficients.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the generating corrective feedback information step includes generating correction information for sensor compensation coefficients and relative navigation solution variables using a nominal sensor relative displacement vector.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the baseline information is indicative of at least one of a nominal position of the second sensor unit relative to a nominal position of the first sensor unit and a nominal relative velocity and attitude of the second sensor unit relative to the first sensor unit.