Abstract: Autonomous merit-based heading alignment and initialization methods for inertial navigation systems that update heading alignment in parallel with a heading estimation process. In some embodiments, such methods calculate figures of merit (FOMs) for multiple heading observations and estimate heading based on the calculate FOMs. In some embodiments, sensor data are genericized and published to a generic network, and multiple heading channels listen to the generic network for the published sensor data to make the heading estimation process sensor-agnostic. Such methods can be performed by software and/or incorporated into hardware and/or software based autonomous merit-based inertial navigation systems, which in turn can be deployed in vehicles to effect autonomous navigation solutions.

Abstract: A deep well linear motor pump system (122) comprising a downhole linear electric motor (222) having a stator and a shaft configured to move linearly relative to the stator, a downhole pump (220) having an inlet (227), an outlet (228), and a piston coupled to the linear motor shaft, a motor driver system (318) connected with the linear motor and configured to provide drive commands to the linear motor, a surface control computer (126) connected with the motor drive system and configured to control the linear motor, a sensor system (224) communicating with the control computer and configured to sense operating parameters of the linear motor, and the sensor system comprising a synchronous serial interface encoder configured to sense position of the motor shaft and a temperature sensor configured to sense the temperature of the motor.