Environmental characteristic determination

• US 7,822,550 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2009
• Issued: 10/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Corporation
• Inventors: Perlmutter, Michael, Humphrey, Ian, Heckathorn, Donald, Reynolds, Christopher I.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Cuong H
• Application Number:
  US12/592,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20100114487A1
• Time in Patent Office: 337 Days
• Field of Search: 324/207.13, 324/162, 701220-221, 701/207, 702/141, 734/88
• US Class Current: 701/220
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/166 Mechanical, construction or arrangement details of inertial navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/08 with conversion into electric or magnetic values
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 21/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus or devices covered by the preceding groups

Abstract

A processor of an apparatus in one example makes a determination of an environmental characteristic based on an average of a plurality of concomitant values that correspond to the environmental characteristic.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, via a plurality of independent electronic sensors, a plurality of independent, concomitant values indicative of an environmental characteristic;

calculating, via a processor, an average of the plurality of independent, concomitant values of the environmental characteristic; and

providing the average of the plurality of independent, concomitant values as a single value indicative of the environmental characteristic;

wherein the step of calculating comprises the step of;

multiplying each of the plurality of independent, concomitant values by at least one weighting value, wherein the at least one weighting value is based on accuracy levels of the plurality of independent sensors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent electronic sensors comprise at least one of gyroscopes and accelerometers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of independent electronic sensors comprise at least one of single-axis and/or multi-axis gyroscopes.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processor performs at least one of an analog-to-digital conversion and a digital-to-analog conversion on at least one of the plurality of independent, concomitant values before a determination of the average of the plurality of independent, concomitant values.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the environmental characteristic comprises at least one of an angular rate and angular acceleration;

wherein the processor provides the single value for the at least one of the angular rate and the angular acceleration to a navigation, control, and inertial guidance system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining comprises the step of:

obtaining the plurality of independent, concomitant values within a pre-determined time period.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of calculating comprises the steps of:

multiplying a number of the plurality of independent, concomitant values by a scaling factor to obtain a scaling value;

performing a summation of the plurality of independent, concomitant values to obtain a summation value;

dividing the summation value by the scaling value.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the environmental characteristic comprises at least one of angular rate, angular acceleration, temperature, pressure, strain, electrical field strength, and magnetic field strength.