Inertial measurement unit apparatus for use with guidance systems

• US 8,957,355 B1
• Filed: 04/20/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Truncale, Angelo, Justin, Joseph E., Gingrich, James K., Butscher, Stephen T.
• Primary Examiner(s): GREGORY, BERNARR E
• Application Number:
  US13/452,439
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 701/400, 701/408, 701500-512, 701/1, 701/23, 701/28, 244/3.1, 244 315- 32, 257414-420, 257/678, 257/723, 734/88, 735/040.2, 735/040.8, 735/041.2, 735/041.6, 73510-512, 7351401-51438, 735/26, 703/23, 438/22, 438/39, 439/55, 439/64, 439/65, 439/68, 250/200, 250/201.1, 250/204, 216/2, 74/5.R, 74/54, 74/54.1, 74/54.6
• US Class Current: 244/3.2
• CPC Class Codes: F42B 15/01 Arrangements thereon for guidance or control steering arrangements F42B10/60; aircraft flight control B64C; guidance systems other than those installed aboard F41G7/00, F41G9/00; locating by use of radio or other waves G01S; flight control in general G05D1/00; computer aspects G06]
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/12 Gyroscopes

Abstract

Inertial measurement unit apparatus for use with guidance systems are disclosed herein. An example guidance system includes an inertial measurement unit removably coupled in a cavity of a guidance wafer via an access port of the guidance wafer defining a port axis that is non-parallel relative to a longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer.

Claims

1. A guidance system comprising:

an inertial measurement unit removably coupled in a cavity of a guidance wafer via an access port of the guidance wafer defining a port axis that is non-parallel relative to a longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer.

2. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the port axis is substantially perpendicular relative to the longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer.

3. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the inertial measurement unit is disposed within a cavity defined by a body of the guidance wafer.

4. The guidance system of claim 3, wherein the guidance wafer further comprises a carrier to receive the inertial measurement unit, the carrier to facilitate insertion or removal of the inertial measurement unit relative to the cavity of the guidance wafer in a direction along the port axis.

5. The guidance system of claim 4, further comprising a track disposed within the cavity, the track to receive a rail of the carrier to orient the inertial measurement relative to the guidance wafer.

6. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the guidance wafer further comprises a removable access panel to cover the access port.

7. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the inertial measurement unit comprises a cylindrical body having a height that is less than a height of the guidance wafer.

8. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the guidance wafer is coupled to a weapons wafer during removal or insertion of the inertial measurement unit relative to the cavity of the guidance wafer.

9. The guidance system of claim 1, wherein the inertial measurement unit comprises a gimbal disposed within a housing.

10. The guidance system of claim 9, wherein the housing comprises a cover, a base and a clam-shell body.

11. The guidance system of claim 10, wherein the gimbal is captured between a first bearing adjacent the cover and a second bearing adjacent the base to enable rotation of the gimbal relative to the housing about a first axis of rotation.

12. The guidance system of claim 11, wherein the gimbal comprises an inner gimbal rotatably coupled to an outer gimbal via respective third and fourth bearings, the third and fourth bearings to enable rotation of the inner gimbal relative to the outer gimbal about a second axis of rotation, the first axis of rotation being substantially perpendicular relative to the second axis of rotation.

13. The guidance system of claim 11, further comprising a gap formed between an inner gimbal and an outer gimbal, the gap to permit thermal conduction across the gap and to inhibit thermal convection across the gap.

14. A method of replacing a guidance system comprising:

opening an access port to a body of a guidance wafer, the access port to enable access to a cavity of the guidance wafer, the access port to provide an opening having an axis substantially perpendicular relative to a longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer; and

removing or inserting an inertial measurement unit relative to the cavity of the guidance wafer via the access port.

15. The method as defined in claim 14, further comprising removing an access panel to expose the access port.

16. The method as defined in claim 14, wherein removing or inserting the inertial measurement unit relative to the guidance wafer is performed without having to remove a weapons wafer that is attached to the guidance wafer.

17. The method as defined in claim 14, further comprising fixing the inertial measurement unit to a carrier.

18. The method as defined in claim 17, further comprising slidably positioning the inertial measurement unit in the cavity via the carrier and the access port.

19. A guidance system comprising:

means for measuring an inertia of a moving object; and

means for accessing a cavity of a guidance wafer to enable insertion or removal of the means for measuring relative to the cavity of the guidance wafer, the means for accessing defining an axis substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer.

20. The guidance system as defined in claim 19, further comprising means for removably coupling the means for measuring relative to the cavity of the guidance wafer.

21. A guidance system comprising:

a guidance wafer having a first side coupled to a first wafer and a second side coupled to a second wafer, the guidance wafer having a longitudinal axis coaxially aligned with respective longitudinal axes of the first and second wafers when the guidance wafer is coupled to the first and second wafers;

an access port formed in a body of the guidance wafer, the access port defining an opening to enable access to a cavity of the guidance wafer, the access port or the opening defining an axis that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the guidance wafer;

a panel removably coupled to the body of the guidance wafer, the panel to expose the opening of the access port when the panel is removed from the body; and

an inertial measurement unit removably coupled in the cavity of the guidance wafer, the inertial measurement unit to be inserted or removed from the cavity via the opening of the access port when the panel is removed from the body of the guidance wafer.

22. The guidance system of claim 21, further comprising a carrier coupled to the inertial measurement unit, the carrier to removably couple the inertial measurement unit relative to the cavity.