Abstract: A navigation device and a method of calibrating the same are provided. The device includes a barometric pressure sensor and a GPS receiver. A processor calculates barometric and GPS derived altitudes and, based on a difference therebetween, corrects barometer altitude readings that would otherwise include drift errors. The processor uses a filter, such as a state feedback loop, to determine correction factors. The state feedback loop is adjustable to operate with different time constants. An error drift model is empirically determined and used to set the time constant. The time constant may be adjusted during operation based on a relation between the barometer correction quantity and an uncertainty in the vertical component of the GPS derived altitude. The method includes updating and recalibrating an atmospheric pressure model used to derive altitudes from the output of the barometric pressure sensor.

Abstract: A system and method for determining attitude using triaxial micro electro-mechanical accelerometer-magnetometer sensors. The triaxial accelerometer-magnetometer sensors measure the triaxial components of the local gravity and magnetic field along three sensing axes of the sensors. The misalignment of the components due to nonorthogonal triaxial assembling of the sensors is estimated via performing three optical alignments and is further compensated in the sensing outputs. A micro-cube with three orthogonal coated mirrors is fixed on the circuit board of the system for implementing the optical alignments. The compensated sensing components are processed to figure out the attitude using Orientation Cosine Conversion of the local gravity and magnetic field. The computation for determining the attitude is based on the inverse tangent of the ratio of the processed components, which is more precise than the computation using the absolute values of the components.

Abstract: A method of printing uses a multi-nozzle ink jet print head having a pressure modulator for causing streams of ink emitted from the nozzles to be broken up into individual droplets. The nozzles are divided into a plurality of groups of nozzles, and groups of charge electrodes correspond, each group of charge electrodes having a respective charge controller. In the method a modulation waveform is generated to operate the pressure modulator to cause droplets to be generated in each stream. The charge controllers are operated to supply a charge signal waveform to charge electrodes and charge droplets in the streams. The phase relationship of the charge signal waveform is adjusted relative to the modulation waveform.