Having Error Correction Of Inputs To Or Outputs From An Inertial Sensing Device Patents (Class 701/505)
  • Patent number: 11293759
    Abstract: A method for decoupling an angular velocity in a transfer alignment process under a dynamic deformation includes: (1) generating, by a trajectory generator, information about an attitude, a velocity, and a position of a main inertial navigation system and an output of an inertial device, and simulating a bending deformation angle {right arrow over (?)} between the main inertial navigation system and a slave inertial navigation system and a bending deformation angular velocity {right arrow over (?)}? by using second-order Markov; (2) decomposing the dynamic deformation into a vibration deformation and a bending deformation, and establishing an angular velocity model under the dynamic deformation of a wing; (3) deducing an error angle ?{right arrow over (?)} between the main inertial navigation system and the slave inertial navigation system; and (4) deducing an expression ?{right arrow over (?)} of a coupling error angular velocity, and applying that to an angular velocity matching process of transfer alignmen
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: SOUTHEAST UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Xiyuan Chen, Ping Yang, Junwei Wang, Lin Fang
  • Patent number: 11173893
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to method and system for detecting and compensating for mechanical fault in autonomous ground vehicle (AGV). For each of a set of trajectory plan segments along a base path during real-time navigation of the AGV, the method may include receiving a plurality of vehicle displacement parameters along a given trajectory plan segment. and determining an optimal velocity twist of the AGV in the given trajectory plan segment using an artificial intelligence (AI) model, based on the plurality of vehicle displacement parameters and a weight of the AGV. The method may further include determining the mechanical fault in the AGV based on a comparison of an actual velocity twist of the AGV in the given trajectory plan segment and the optimal velocity twist of the AGV in the given trajectory plan segment for each of the set of trajectory plan segments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Wipro Limited
    Inventors: R. Balaji Sunil Kumar, Manas Sarkar
  • Patent number: 11041724
    Abstract: A navigation system comprising: an inertial navigation system arranged to output a first position estimate; a terrain based navigation unit arranged to output a second position estimate; a gravity based navigation unit arranged to output a third position estimate; a stored gravity map arranged to receive a position and to output gravity information for that position; and an iterative algorithm unit arranged to determine an INS error state in each iteration; wherein in each iteration the iterative algorithm unit is arranged to: receive the first position estimate, the second position estimate, and the third position estimate; determine a gravity corrected position estimate based on the first position estimate, the INS error state and the gravity information; and update the INS error state for the next iteration based on the INS error state, the gravity corrected position estimate, the second position estimate and the third position estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: ATLANTIC INERTIAL SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Alan Malvern, Nicholas R. Wilkinson
  • Patent number: 10935392
    Abstract: A method is provided for determining corrections to rate data output by inertial sensors of a type typically used in tracking changes in orientation of an object. The present invention also extends to a tracker system incorporating the correction functionality of the present invention. The method makes use of rate data output by inertial sensors associated with the object being tracked and rate data derived from measures of orientation supplied by a non-inertial tracker system also associated with the object being tracked and comprises determining from those rate data corrections for errors due to misalignment in rate data output by inertial sensors, by calculating a mapping between vectors linking points in inertial sensor rate space represented by a sample set of received rate data from the inertial sensors and vectors linking points in a derived object orientation rate space represented by a corresponding and synchronised sample set of derived rate data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: BAE SYSTEMS PLC
    Inventors: Simon Trythall, John Richard Williams, Peter Michael Knight
  • Patent number: 10929928
    Abstract: Method for analyzing a crash event. The method may comprise receiving an acceleration of a vehicle over a predetermined length of time, the vehicle involved in the crash event, determining a change in velocity of the vehicle based on the acceleration, determining vehicle information relating to the vehicle involved in the crash event, and estimating a damage cost for the vehicle involved in the crash event, and/or estimating injuries to occupant(s) of the vehicle involved in the crash event. Estimating damage cost(s) may include determining crash force information for the vehicle, determining physical-damage characteristics of the vehicle subsequent to the crash event, and calculating the estimated damage cost to the vehicle. Estimating injuries to the occupant(s) may include determining occupant information relating to the occupant of the vehicle, calculating estimated forces exerted on the occupant, and calculating an injury probability for various body portions for the occupant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Gulfstream Telematics LLC
    Inventors: Gregory S. Bayley, Peter F. Byrne, Jeffrey A. Jenkins
  • Patent number: 9619019
    Abstract: A display apparatus and a control method thereof are provided. The display apparatus includes a display configured to display a plurality of images received from a plurality of sources on each of a first screen, a second screen, and a third screen of a display screen, a user interface configured to detect a user interaction, and a controller configured to control the display to move locations of the first to third screens in accordance with a detected rotation interaction in response to the rotation interaction being detected through the user interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2017
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Joon-ho Phang, Nam-hyun Park, Do-sung Jung, Joo-sun Moon, Yi-sak Park, Sue-young Chung, Christopher E. Bangle
  • Patent number: 9534900
    Abstract: A system for determining a combined velocity rotation compensation and sculling compensation in an inertial navigation system includes: gyroscopes configured to provide a measured angular rotation rate with components from three orthogonal axes; accelerometers configured to provide a measured specific force with components from three orthogonal axes; and a processor configured to calculate a first combined velocity rotation compensation and sculling compensation at a single computational rate, the processor configured to: calculate a first cross product of an instantaneous angular rotation rate and a change in the measured specific force during a first interval; and sum the first cross product with a second cross product of a fraction of the change in the specific force during the second interval and the change in the measured angular rate during the first interval; where the first and second intervals are each one cycle of the single computational rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: SYSTRON DONNER INTERIAL, INC.
    Inventor: Honghui Qi
  • Patent number: 9507375
    Abstract: Provided are a display apparatus and method for recognizing locations. The display apparatus recognizes a location, and communicates with an external device having a tag reader. The display apparatus includes a display unit; a plurality of tags disposed on the display unit, each tag having a different identification (ID); a location information storage unit in which location information of each tag is stored; and a control unit which determines a location of the external device by comparing the ID with the location information stored in the location information storage unit, if the tag ID recognized by the external device is received from the external device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Kuk-hyun Han
  • Patent number: 9423250
    Abstract: A method includes initializing an inertial measurement unit (IMU) at a starting location and gathering acceleration and rotational data as the IMU is moved to an intermediate location. An indication that the IMU is at the intermediate location is received. The method includes gathering acceleration and rotational data as the IMU is moved to an ending location and calculating a position of the ending location based on a known position of the starting location and the acceleration data. The method includes calculating corrected acceleration data based on a difference between the calculated position of the ending location and a known position of the ending location, and calculating a position of the intermediate location based on the corrected acceleration data are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 23, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: James J. Troy
  • Patent number: 9086284
    Abstract: The invention relates to a flying device (1), in particular an air missile, which is of the inertial navigation type, which is rotatable and includes a pitch rate gyroscope (2), wherein said device also comprises automatic control means (8) for rotating same about the longitudinal axis (3) thereof, regularly alternating the direction of rotation, so as to cancel the effect of the scale factor of the pitch rate gyroscope (2), in addition to correcting ordinary drifts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: MBDA France
    Inventor: François De Picciotto
  • Patent number: 8996298
    Abstract: A noise pattern acquisition device includes: a geomagnetic sensor; a coordinate estimation unit configured to estimate current position coordinates; and a geomagnetic noise pattern management unit configured to, when an abnormality occurs in a magnetic field strength detected by the geomagnetic sensor during movement of the noise pattern acquisition device, store in a geomagnetic noise pattern storage unit a geomagnetic noise pattern which is a pattern representing a time-series change of the magnetic field strength detected by the geomagnetic sensor. This makes it possible to not only acquire a geomagnetic noise pattern but also detect a proper position with a simple structure and process at reduced cost.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America
    Inventor: Kazunori Yamada
  • Patent number: 8990014
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and computer readable storage media are presented for directional scaling of inertial path data to satisfy ranging constraints. The presented techniques take into account scaling confidence information. In addition to bounding potential scale corrections based on the reliability of the inertial path and the magnetic heading confidence, the techniques bound potential scale parameters based on constraints and solve for directional scale parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2015
    Assignee: TRX Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Benjamin Funk, Dan Hakim, John Karvounis, Carole Teolis
  • Publication number: 20150051806
    Abstract: A vehicle-based positioning system (VBPS) for a vehicle traversing a guideway, the VBPS includes an inertial navigation system (INS) on-board the vehicle, wherein the INS is configured to detect inertial parameters of the vehicle while the vehicle traverses the guideway, the detected inertial parameters including roll, pitch and yaw of the vehicle. The VBPS includes a guideway database, wherein the guideway database is configured to store inertial parameters of the guideway at a plurality of locations along the guideway, the stored inertial parameters include roll, pitch and yaw of the guideway. The VBPS further includes a vital on-board controller (VOBC), the VOBC is configured to determine a position of the vehicle based on a comparison of the detected inertial parameters with the stored inertial parameters. The VOBC is configured to limit comparison of the inertial parameters with the stored inertial parameters based on a latest checkpoint passed by the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Applicant: thales Canada Inc.
    Inventors: Ehsan Kimiagar, Firth Whitwam
  • Patent number: 8898013
    Abstract: A hybrid navigation device includes at least one auxiliary sensor adapted to deliver at least one auxiliary signal and a plurality of hybrid navigation systems, each including at least one inertial navigation system and one calculator configured to form an hybrid signal at the output of each hybrid navigation system. The hybrid navigation device includes a module for the detection of good operating condition and the weighting of the hybrid navigation systems, the module being configured to receive the at least one auxiliary signal, and the hybrid signals of each hybrid navigation system, respectively, to deduce therefrom an indicator of good operating condition and a weighting coefficient for each hybrid navigation system, and to calculate a weighted hybrid signal as a function of the hybrid signals and of the weighting coefficients of each hybrid navigation system, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ixblue
    Inventor: Fabien Napolitano
  • Publication number: 20140343844
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes a motion detector to determine a motion event or a no motion event for an inertial system. The determination of the events is based upon comparing at least one motion parameter in the inertial system to at least one predetermined threshold. An azimuth update controller (AUC) periodically requests motion detection events from the motion detector and corrects heading information to a previous positional state in the inertial system in response to receipt of the no motion event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2013
    Publication date: November 20, 2014
    Applicant: NORTHROP GRUMMAN GUIDANCE AND ELECTRONICS COMPANY , INC.
    Inventor: LINN ZIEN
  • Patent number: 8862396
    Abstract: A positioning device including a movement measuring unit for measuring a relative positional change and a passing position calculation control unit for continuing measurement of the positional change of the movement measuring unit during movement, being given position data of any first point at the first point on a moving route excluding a start point, and determining position data of a point which has been passed before arrival at the first point on the basis of the given position data of the first point and data of the positional change continuously measured by the movement measuring unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Masao Sambongi
  • Patent number: 8825398
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for assisting in the navigation of a person, both inside and outside a building. The device, being fitted to the person, comprises at least: a computer (41) comprising in memory a digitized map of the place (1) in which the path of the person is planned between a departure point and an arrival point, and a location software; a human-machine interface linked to the computer; a set of sensors (42) worn by the person and linked to the computer, the sensors delivering information about the movements of the person; the location software performing a processing of the signals originating from the sensors (42) and from the interface, and performing the fusion of the data provided by the digitized map and the information arising from the sensors and from the interface, and then calculating on the basis of these data the absolute location of the person on the map and correcting the position estimation errors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'energie Atomique
    Inventors: Jean-Marc Alexandre, Sylvie Lamy-Perbal, Rodolphe Gelin
  • Patent number: 8812234
    Abstract: A device to aid navigation comprises: at least one inertial navigation unit; an integration module estimating the position, speed and orientation of the carrier on the basis of the data supplied by the inertial navigation unit; a digitized map of the locations in which the carrier moves, said map storing a navigable network along which the carrier may move; a module for generating position pseudo-measurements on the basis of the position estimated by the integration module and cartographic data supplied by the digitized map, a position pseudo-measurement indicating the position which should be estimated by the integration module in the presence of movement constraints imposed by the digitized map of the locations; an indirect extended Kalman filter connected to the module for generating position pseudo-measurements by a switch, said filter estimating the errors relating to the position, speed and orientation, and also any other variable associated with the inertial navigation unit, estimated by the integratio
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives
    Inventor: Nadir Castaneda
  • Patent number: 8812235
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide improved systems and methods for estimating N-dimensional parameters while sensing fewer than N dimensions. In one embodiment a navigational system comprises a processor and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that provides an output to the processor, the processor providing a navigation solution based on the output of the IMU, wherein the navigation solution includes a calculation of an n-dimensional parameter. Further, the navigational system includes at most two sensors that provide an output to the processor, wherein the processor computes an estimate of an n-dimensional parameter from the output of the at most two sensors for bounding errors in the n-dimensional parameter as calculated by the processor when the trajectory measured by the IMU satisfies movement requirements, wherein “n” is greater than the number of the at most two sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan Ingvalson, Wesley J. Hawkinson, Robert C. McCroskey, Paul Samanant
  • Patent number: 8812233
    Abstract: A system for detecting an error in an inertial measurement unit (IMU) is disclosed. The system may have a first IMU including a first plurality of accelerometers and a first rotational rate measurer. The first plurality of accelerometers may be configured to measure acceleration along a plurality of first axes, a first axis of the plurality of first axes being substantially collinear with a collinear axis. The first rotational rate measurer may be configured to measure a first rotational rate about a second axis of the plurality of first axes that is substantially perpendicular to the collinear axis. The system may also have a second IMU and an IMU error detector. The IMU error detector may be configured to receive measurement data from the first IMU and the second IMU; and detect an error based on the measurement data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew E. Kontz, Harold Duane Dabbs
  • Patent number: 8798925
    Abstract: An unambiguous heading direction is calculated to determine the forward/reverse state of a vehicle. A heading alignment error is determined at step 100, being the difference between a GNSS direction of motion and the unresolved IMU heading of the vehicle. The heading alignment error is adjusted by 180° to be within a predetermined range at step 200. The unresolved IMU heading of the vehicle 10 is adjusted using the heading alignment error to determine an ambiguous error corrected IMU heading at step 300. Step 400 determines whether the ambiguous error corrected IMU heading is substantially in the true direction of the nose of the vehicle. The unambiguous heading direction is calculated at step 500 by offsetting the ambiguous error corrected IMU heading by 180 degrees if the ambiguous error corrected IMU heading is substantially opposite the true direction of the nose the vehicle of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Leica Geosystems AG
    Inventor: William James Kellar
  • Patent number: 8798908
    Abstract: A method for supporting location services in a mobile radio communications system, in which method a mobile station receives from at least one network element involved in location services, for the implementation of a position measurement procedure, at least one information element indicating if the method type required for that position measurement procedure is a “Conventional GPS” method type where the mobile station behaves as a conventional satellite positioning system receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Stanislas Bourdeaut
  • Publication number: 20140207374
    Abstract: A system and method for estimating the position of an object, such as a person, animal, or machine. The system includes first and second inertial measurement units, a first and second originator antennas, and a first and second transponder antennas. The system uses data from the inertial measurement units to estimate a position of the object. The system also calculates a range measurement between the first originator antenna and first transponder antenna. The system calculates a first CPD measurement between the second transponder antenna and the first originator antenna, and a second CPD measurement between the second originator antenna and the first transponder antenna. The range measurement and at least one CPD measurement are used to update a Kalman filter for estimating the position of the object. The system determines also updates the Kalman filter when one of the inertial measurement units is in a zero-velocity condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Publication date: July 24, 2014
    Inventors: David W.A. TAYLOR, JR., Bradley David Farnsworth, William Todd Faulkner, Christopher Matthew Foster, Robert Barlow Alwood
  • Patent number: 8781737
    Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for determining a spatial alignment of an inertial measurement unit (IMU). By way of example, a method is described in which a first vehicle-based direction is identified, and the first vehicle-based direction is associated with a first direction that is transformable to an earth-based coordinate frame. A spatial alignment of the IMU is determined based at least partially on the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventor: Joseph Czompo
  • Patent number: 8768621
    Abstract: A signal processing module (50) comprises a difference signal generating module (60) for generating at least one difference signal (?) from a first and a second acceleration measurement vector signal (S1, S2), the first and the second acceleration measurement vector signal (S1, S2) respectively comprising a first and a second sequence of vector signal samples, the vector signal samples comprising at least a first and a second linearly independent acceleration measurement signal component, wherein the vector signal samples represent a measurement result of an acceleration sensor having a variable orientation as a function of time, wherein samples in the first sequence have a corresponding sample in the second sequence.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2014
    Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie voor toegepast—natuurwetenschappelijk onderzoek TNO
    Inventor: Marcel Gregorius Anthonius Ruizenaar
  • Patent number: 8744765
    Abstract: A personal navigation system, including: at least one inertial sensor module associated with a user, the inertial sensor module comprising at least one sensor to generate location data associated with the user; a communication device to receive and/or transmit at least a portion of the location data; and an onsite computer to communicate with the communication device and receive at least a portion of the location data; wherein at least one of the inertial sensor module and the onsite computer is configured to determine at least one activity of the user based at least in part upon the location data; wherein the onsite computer is programmed to configure a display including a representation of the user based at least in part upon the location data; wherein at least one of the determination and the configuration is performed substantially in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: MSA Technology, LLC
    Inventors: Paul A. Miller, David Kodrin, Christopher Evan Watson, Chadd Cron, Scott Pavetti
  • Patent number: 8744651
    Abstract: A method of determining a maneuver performed by an aircraft having sensors for monitoring motion data, the method including periodically sampling the sensors to electronically determine segments of motion data of the aircraft; aggregating sequences of the segments of the motion data; comparing the aggregated segments of motion data to models of particular maneuvers; and determining the maneuver performed by the aircraft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Preston R. Bates, Mark W. Davis, James Peter Cycon, Payman Sadegh
  • Patent number: 8718937
    Abstract: A method for determining the relative position of two points using an inertial navigation system is described. The method comprises estimating position error states and a position solution with an INS at a first position, estimating position error states and a position solution with the INS at a second position, and returning the INS to the first position. Estimates of the first and second position error states are adjusted based on correlations developed during a transition returning the INS from the second position to the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth S. Morgan, Jeffrey A. VanGuilder, John S. White
  • Patent number: 8669505
    Abstract: The invention relates to a guidance system comprising estimation means able to estimate, in the course of flight, the attitude and the aerodynamic speed of a projectile, as well as the variations in the speed of the wind, on the basis of guidance orders formulated by guidance means of the guidance system, of a reference trajectory and of measurements obtained by measurement means of the system, using a model of the dynamic behavior of the projectile and a model of the dynamics of the wind.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: MBDA France
    Inventors: Vincent Guibout, Eric Larcher
  • Patent number: 8635023
    Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to localizing mobile devices. In one example, a first location method associated with a first accuracy value may be used to estimate a location of the mobile device. A confidence circle indicative of a level of confidence in the estimation of the location is calculated. The confidence circle may be displayed on a mobile device. When other location methods become available, the size of the displayed confidence circle may be expanded based on information from an accelerometer of the client device or the accuracy of the other available location methods. This may be especially useful when the mobile device is transitioning between areas which are associated with different location methods that may be more or less accurate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Google Inc.
    Inventors: Sorelle Alaina Friedler, Mohammed Waleed Kadous, Andrew Lookingbill
  • Publication number: 20130345972
    Abstract: A method and system for compensating for significant soft iron magnetic disturbances in a heading reference system, such as an aircraft heading reference system, such as an integrated standby unit; or a vehicle inertial system, provides a heading correction signal to the heading reference system when a detected difference in value between a gyro heading relative to magnetic north and a magnetometer reading during a defined measurement period exceeds a predetermined acceptable threshold value of change, such as one based on the expected gyro drift over that period. Upon receipt of the heading correction signal, the gyro heading is adjusted to maintain an accurate heading relative to true magnetic north. If this threshold value is not exceeded, then the magnetometer reading is used for the heading value. This method is iteratively repeated in order to continually maintain an accurate heading and may be employed for each heading measurement axis.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2012
    Publication date: December 26, 2013
    Inventor: Shahram Askarpour
  • Publication number: 20130332065
    Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods and systems for fusion of sensor and map data using constraint based optimization. In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method may include obtaining tracking data for a tracked subject, the tracking data including data from a dead reckoning sensor; obtaining constraint data for the tracked subject; and using a convex optimization method based on the tracking data and the constraint data to obtain a navigation solution. The navigation solution may be a path and the method may further include propagating the constraint data by a motion model to produce error bounds that continue to constrain the path over time. The propagation of the constraint data may be limited by other sensor data and/or map structural data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2013
    Publication date: December 12, 2013
    Inventors: Daniel Hakim, Christopher Giles, John Karvounis, Benjamin Funk, Jared Napora, Carole Teolis
  • Patent number: 8577607
    Abstract: A method of stabilizing an inertial navigation system (INS), includes the steps of: receiving data from an inertial navigation system; and receiving a finite number of carrier phase observables using at least one GPS receiver from a plurality of GPS satellites; calculating a phase wind up correction; correcting at least one of the finite number of carrier phase observables using the phase wind up correction; and calculating a corrected IMU attitude or velocity or position using the corrected at least one of the finite number of carrier phase observables; and performing a step selected from the steps consisting of recording, reporting, or providing the corrected IMU attitude or velocity or position to another process that uses the corrected IMU attitude or velocity or position. A GPS stabilized inertial navigation system apparatus is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: California Institute of Technology
    Inventor: Walton R. Williamson
  • Patent number: 8571741
    Abstract: A device for measuring the movement of a self-guiding vehicle, that has an enhanced measuring reliability, in particular during an adhesion loss and independently from the travel profile of the vehicle in terms of slope, turn and slant. To this end, the device for measuring the movement of a self-guiding vehicle includes on board thereof two accelerometers coupled to a movement calculator, wherein each accelerometer includes two measurement axes on which are measured projections of a vehicle acceleration resultant. The four measurement axes of the accelerometers are adjusted so that the calculator provides, from the four projection measures, at least one very accurate longitudinal acceleration value of the vehicle at each point of a route including both slopes and turns.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Siemens SAS
    Inventors: Said El Fassi, Alain Maire
  • Patent number: 8571795
    Abstract: A navigation apparatus includes: a section that calculates a mobile object's acceleration in the direction of the motion, based on the mobile object's speed calculated from information received from a satellite; a section that calculates lateral acceleration whose direction is perpendicular to the mobile object's motion, based on the mobile object's speed and direction calculated from information received from the satellite; an acceleration sensor that observes motion acceleration of the mobile object and gravity acceleration; a section that calculates an altitude difference of road based on an atmospheric pressure value supplied from a barometric sensor; a section that calculates an inclination angle of the road in the direction of the motion, based on the altitude difference and a travel distance corresponding to the mobile object's speed; and a section that calculates an attachment angle of the acceleration sensor with respect to the mobile object by using a multidimensional function formula.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tomohisa Takaoka, Masashi Ohkubo
  • Patent number: 8566055
    Abstract: A method is provided for removing gimbal periodic reorientation (indexing) readout errors in a navigation system having multiple IMUs mounted to a platform. Each IMU has multiple gyroscopes providing attitude outputs. Attitude readout errors bias due to periodic gimbal motions is determined in each IMU along each gyroscope attitude axis. Attitude outputs of the gyroscopes are time-aligned, as necessary. Onset times of indexing of each gyroscope is determined. A difference is formed between gyroscope attitude outputs. Steps in this difference of attitude outputs are assigned to the respective gyroscope causing the step in attitude. Cumulative sums of the steps associated with the respective gyroscopes are formed. The mean and linear trend in the respective cumulative sums are removed from the respective cumulative sums to form the final error correction, corresponding to the time interval associated with the steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2013
    Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation
    Inventors: Anthony Vidmar, Michael J. Wolfrom, Daniel P. Bergen, II
  • Patent number: 8560280
    Abstract: A method for calculating a navigation phase for a carrier, in a navigation system involving terrain correlation, includes determining a navigability map in which each point of interest of an onboard map is associated with a navigability score. The method is applicable to all terrain aided navigation techniques, and allows the consideration of the quality of the onboard maps and terrain sensors used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Christian Louis, Sébastien Reynaud
  • Publication number: 20130238237
    Abstract: A method of pedestrian navigation, based on an external positioning system and a Dead Reckoning (DR) system is provided herein. The method may employ the following steps: obtaining external positioning readings from an external positioning source and DR position readings from a pedestrian-carried platform; estimating an external positioning error, based at least partially on the external positioning and the DR position readings; and applying an estimation function to the external position readings, the DR position readings, and the external positioning errors, to yield a corrected estimated position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2011
    Publication date: September 12, 2013
    Inventors: Ari Abramson Liani, Ilan Efrat, Ilya Leizerson
  • Patent number: 8519313
    Abstract: A projectile, such as a missile, rolls during at least a portion of its flight, while retaining its roll reference to enable navigation during the rolling period of flight. The roll reference may be retained by using a sensor, such as magnetometer, to periodically check and correct the roll reference. Alternatively or in addition the missile may alternate roll directions, for example varying roll rate in a substantially sinusoidal function. By rolling the missile inaccuracies in an inertial measurement unit (IMU) of the missile may be ameliorated by being to a large extent canceled out by the changes in orientation of the missile as the missile rolls. This enables use of IMUs with lower accuracy than would otherwise be required to obtain accurate flight. Thus accurate flight may be accomplished with less costly IMUs, without sacrificing the ability to navigate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Raytheon Company
    Inventors: Chris E. Geswender, Paul Vesty, Charles Scarborough
  • Publication number: 20130218461
    Abstract: A system and a method are disclosed for a dead reckoning module. The dead reckoning module receives sensor information from an inertial sensor module indicating translation and rotation information. The dead reckoning module determines the position of the inertial sensor module between two periods of time by calculating a movement from the a first time period to an intermediate time period, and from the second time period to the intermediate time period, and determines the total movement between the first and second time periods using the movements relating to the intermediate period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 22, 2013
    Publication date: August 22, 2013
    Inventor: Leonid Naimark
  • Publication number: 20130166195
    Abstract: A system and method for locating, tracking, and/or monitoring the status of personnel and/or assets (collectively “trackees”), both indoors and outdoors, is provided. Tracking data obtained from any number of sources utilizing any number of tracking methods may be provided as input to a mapping application. The mapping application generates position estimates for trackees using a suite of mapping tools to make corrections to the tracking data. The mapping application further uses information from building data, when available, to enhance position estimates. Indoor tracking methods including sensor fusion methods, map matching methods, and map building methods may be implemented compute a more accurate tracking estimate for trackees. Outdoor tracking methods may be implemented to enhance outdoor tracking data by combining tracking estimates such as inertial tracks with magnetic and/or compass data if and when available, and with GPS, if and when available.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Publication date: June 27, 2013
    Inventors: Amrit Bandyopadhyay, Daniel Hakim, Benjamin E. Funk, Eric Asher Kohn, Carole A. Teolis, Gilmer Blankenship
  • Patent number: 8467967
    Abstract: Inertial navigation systems for wheeled vehicles with constrained motion degrees of freedom are described. Various parts of the navigation systems may be implemented in a smart-phone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventor: Peter Van Wyck Loomis
  • Patent number: 8452536
    Abstract: A method of defining a navigation system comprising at least one inertial platform and involving terrain correlation, the estimations of the state vector of a platform being made by a navigation filter which furthermore accesses the data of an onboard map, allows the definition of the parameters relating to, respectively, the inertial platform and at least one terrain sensor allowing Terrain-Aided-Navigation, the definition of the parameters being carried out on the basis of computations carried out with the help of statistical syntheses not involving a modeling of the navigation filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Thales
    Inventors: Christian Louis, Sébastien Reynaud
  • Patent number: 8452483
    Abstract: A cell-based vehicle driving control system includes a local server for obtaining road environment information on roads within a cell and target vehicle information on a target vehicle within the cell and generating local waypoints based on the road environment information and the target vehicle information; a global server for monitoring the target vehicle information, the road environment information and local server information on the local server received from the local server; and a vehicle control terminal, mounted in the target vehicle, for receiving the local waypoints from the local server and controlling the target vehicle based on the local waypoints. The road environment information is obtained by using at least one sensor installed on the roads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2013
    Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
    Inventors: Do Hyun Kim, Sung Won Sohn, Jong-Hyun Park, Byung Tae Jang, Jeong Dan Choi, Kyung Bok Sung, Kyoung Hwan An, Ju Wan Kim, Seong Ik Cho, Jungsook Kim
  • Patent number: 8447518
    Abstract: A current position detector for a vehicle includes: an angular speed sensor; a speed sensor; a GPS receiver; a traveling trajectory estimating element for estimating a relative trajectory based on an orientation change amount and a traveling distance, and for estimating a traveling trajectory based on the relative trajectory and a GPS signal; and an error estimating element for estimating and correcting each error of an angular speed signal, a speed signal and the GPS signal. The error estimating element estimates a gain error of the angular speed signal such that an attachment angle gain error attributed to an attachment angle of the angular speed sensor and an angular speed gain error attributed to a non-linear gain property of the angular speed sensor are independently estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideki Tanino
  • Patent number: 8447520
    Abstract: Device for aiding the navigation and guidance of an aircraft, and system comprising such a device. The device (1) comprises at least three independent channels and it comprises at least one computer (2) which contains means (4) for storing and means (6, 7) for calculating positions and deviations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Airbus Operations (SAS)
    Inventors: Josep Gine I Cortiella, Jean-Philippe Huynh
  • Patent number: 8442765
    Abstract: A method for collaborative navigation comprises initializing a conditionally independent filter on a local platform, propagating the conditionally independent filter forward in time, and when a local measurement has been made, updating the conditionally independent filter with the local measurement. When a common measurement has been made, the conditionally independent filter is updated with the common measurement, and a determination is made whether a remote conditioning node has arrived from a remote platform. If a remote conditioning node has arrived, a determination is made whether the remote conditioning node needs to be fused with a local conditioning node of the conditionally independent filter. If the remote conditioning node needs to be fused, a node-to-node fusion is performed in the conditionally independent filter to merge the remote conditioning node with the local conditioning node to produce a merged conditioning node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Ryan Ingvalson
  • Patent number: 8406996
    Abstract: Inertial navigation systems for wheeled vehicles with constrained motion degrees of freedom are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Trimble Navigation Limited
    Inventor: Peter Van Wyck Loomis
  • Patent number: 8401788
    Abstract: A GPS measuring unit receives a signal from a GPS satellite and outputs GPS measurement data including at least orientation of an object. An angular velocity sensor outputs angular velocity of the object. An offset value computing unit estimates a running condition of the object on the basis of the measurement data and the angular velocity. The offset value computing unit sequentially derives a temporary offset value of the angular velocity sensor in accordance with the estimated running condition of the object. The offset value computing unit derives an offset value of the angular velocity sensor by executing statistical process on the temporary offset value of the angular velocity sensor. A forgetting factor in the statistical process is changed according to the running condition of the object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2013
    Assignee: JVC Kenwood Corporation
    Inventor: Takahiro Kondoh
  • Patent number: 8380370
    Abstract: A system and a method for commanding a spacecraft to perform a three-axis maneuver purely based on “position” (i.e., attitude) measurements. Using an “inertial gimbal concept”, a set of formulae are derived that can map a set of “inertial” motion to the spacecraft body frame based on position information so that the spacecraft can perform/follow according to the desired inertial position maneuvers commands. Also, the system and method disclosed herein employ an intrusion steering law to protect the spacecraft from acquisition failure when a long sensor intrusion occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 19, 2013
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Dan Y. Liu, Richard Y. Chiang