Relative Navigation System

• US 20110153205A1
• Filed: 12/22/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Saggio, Frank III, Feldmann, Michael Steven, Nichols, Douglas Robert, Stimac, Lawrence William
• Granted Patent: US 8,386,096 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: B64G 1/646 Docking or rendezvous systems refueling in space B64G1/4024
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/24 specially adapted for cosmonautical navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/74 Systems using reradiation of electromagnetic waves other than radio waves, e.g. IFF, i.e. identification of friend or foe
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/875 for determining attitude
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 2201/0216 Vehicle for transporting goods in a warehouse, factory or similar

Abstract

A relative navigation system projecting a grid into space from a first object a grid that is repeatedly detected from a second object having a second relative reference frame and using range and attitude between the objects to adjust the attitude or range of at least one of the first and second objects.

Claims

1. A relative navigation system for at least two objects having relative movement, comprising:

a grid generator provided on one of the at least two objects and projecting into space a plurality of lines forming a grid defining a first relative reference frame associated with a first origin point on the first object;

a detector array provided on the other of the at least two objects and detecting at least a portion of the grid and providing an output; and

a controller provided on the other of the at least two objects, receiving the output, and determining at least one of a relative range and attitude between the first and second objects based on the output.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises a memory and a set of executable instructions provided in the memory.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the set of executable instructions determine the range and attitude based on the output.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the detector array comprises at least three detector modules, each one providing an output to the controller.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least three detector modules comprising the detector array are not collinear.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid generator projects a plurality of modulated lines.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the grid generator comprises a radiation beam rastered to form the plurality of modulated lines.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the radiation beam is a laser beam.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the radiation beam is rastered in two substantially orthogonal directions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the grid generator uniquely modulates each of the plurality of lines to form a grid with a grid word comprised of multiple bits.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the detector array comprises multiple detector modules, with each detector module having a field of view large enough to allow the detection of the modulated grid word of at least one modulated line.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second objects further comprises at least one course corrector coupled to the controller to receive input from the controller to correct the course of the at least one first and second object based on the determined at least one relative range and attitude.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one course corrector is provided on the at least one of the first and second objects having the detector array.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the at least one course corrector is at least one of a thruster and control surface.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lines intersect to form a grid of intersecting lines.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the intersecting lines comprise a series of concentric circles having a common center and lines radiating out from the center and intersecting the concentric circles.