Collaborative navigation using conditional updates

• US 8,868,323 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2011
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Lommel, Peter, Mohr, Benjamin, Ma, Yunqian
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): MYHRE, KEVIN C
• Application Number:
  US13/053,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20120245844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 701/300, 701/519, 701/532, 178/18.06, 382/153, 382/154
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/20 Instruments for performing navigational calculations G01C21/24, G01C21/26 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10016 Video; Image sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30181 Earth observation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30212 Military
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30241 Trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30252 Vehicle exterior; Vicinity of vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/593 from stereo images

Abstract

A method for collaborative navigation between two or more platforms is provided. The method comprises establishing a communication link between a first platform and a second platform, making a sensor measurement from the first platform, updating state and covariance elements of the first platform, and transmitting the updated state and covariance elements from the first platform to the second platform. A conditional update is performed on the second platform to compute a new estimate of state and covariance elements on the second platform, which takes into account the measurement from the first platform. The method further comprises making a sensor measurement from the second platform, updating state and covariance elements of the second platform, and transmitting the updated state and covariance elements from the second platform to the first platform. A conditional update is performed on the first platform to compute a new estimate of state and covariance elements on the first platform, which takes into account the measurement from the second platform.

Claims

1. A method for collaborative navigation between two or more platforms, the method comprising:

establishing a communication link between a first platform having a first navigation filter and a second platform having a second navigation filter, the first navigation filter including a first state vector x₁ and a first covariance matrix P₁, where;

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a communication link between the first platform and a third platform; and

establishing a communication link between the second platform and the third platform.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first platform is an aircraft at a first altitude.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second platform is an aircraft at a second altitude different from the first altitude.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the third platform is a ground vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the platforms has access to digital terrain elevation data (DTED).

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising taking radio ranging measurements between each of the platforms.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a processor to perform a method for collaborative navigation between two or more vehicles, the method comprising;

establishing a communication link between a first vehicle having a first navigation filter and a second vehicle having a second navigation filter, the first navigation filter including a first state vector x₁ and a first covariance matrix P₁, where;

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises:

establishing a communication link between the second vehicle and a third vehicle.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein each of the vehicles has access to digital terrain elevation data (DTED).

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the method further comprises taking radio ranging measurements between each of the vehicles.

12. A system for collaborative navigation between two or more platforms, the system comprising:

a first platform; and

a second platform in operative communication with the first platform;

wherein the first platform and the second platform each comprise;

at least one processor;

at least one sensor mounted on each platform and operatively coupled to the processor in each platform;

a navigation filter operatively coupled to the processor in each platform;

and

a memory unit operatively coupled to the processor in each platform and containing digital terrain elevation data (DTED);

wherein the memory unit in the first platform includes machine readable instructions executable by the processor in the first platform to;

establish a communication link between the first platform and the second platform, the navigation filter of the first platform including a first state vector x₁ and a first covariance matrix P₁ where;

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a third platform in operative communication with the first platform and the second platform.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first platform is a manned aircraft.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second platform is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the third platform is a ground vehicle.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the memory unit in the first platform includes further machine readable instructions executable by the processor in the first platform to establish a communication link between the first platform and the third platform, and the memory unit in the second platform includes machine readable instructions executable by the processor in the second platform to establish a communication link between the second platform and the third platform.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory unit in the first platform includes further machine readable instructions executable by the processor in the first platform to take radio ranging measurements.