Abstract: The present invention provides the ability to calibrate magnetic sensors for magnetic distortions caused by soft- and hard-iron magnetic interference without a use of any conventional means of magnetic calibration. The system utilizes data collected from an attached camera to track orientation changes during operation that are, then, used to calculate magnetic calibration parameters. The system embodiment allows for calibration to be performed as a background process while the system is in operation. Additionally, the system automatically corrects calibrations in applications where the interference characteristics of the object under measure change. Moreover, the system can be used with unknown absolute heading which may be estimated based on optical data at the same time with magnetometer auto-calibration as an extension to the estimation algorithm.

Abstract: An object tracking system has an inertial orientation sensor attached to a camera. The sensor uses a rigid body position and orientation (with or without markers) visible to the camera for determining the orientation and the position of the object in the global reference frame, when the camera is not rigidly fixed. Another orientation sensor is attached to the object in order to keep tracking of its orientation when a valid tracking of the object cannot be obtained from the camera. The data from the orientation sensor attached to the object and the data from the orientation sensor attached to the camera is used to increase the accuracy of the optical tracking of the object.

Abstract: A digital positioning system that interfaces with a portable weapon to automatically realign the weapon through and after a firing shock that saturates electronic components of the portable weapon. The digital positioning system includes a digital fire control device that receives target destination data. The digital fire control device transmits the target destination data to an automatic calibration and pointing device, which, in turn, generates a reference orientation from the target destination data. In response to the firing shock, the automatic calibration and pointing device acquires a current orientation of the portable weapon, independently of the saturated electronic components, and compares the current orientation to the stored reference orientation for causing a mechanical alignment and orientation mechanism to reposition the portable weapon.