New low cost avionics with INS/GPS for a variety of vehicles

Development of a new vehicle avionics suite is described, including integration of a low-cost, tightly-coupled integrated Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) to support vehicle guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C). A wide variety of next-generation low-cost launch vehicles could potentially benefit from integrated INS/GPS technology for GN&C and/or range safety applications. Coleman Aerospace Company (CAC) has developed a new low-cost avionics suite, the generic Integrated Mission Guidance & Tracking System (IMGTS), an open architecture, modular system that supports the requirements for various guidance applications and range safety tracking. As part of this development, Boeing North American, Inc. is supplying its Modular Miniature Integrated GPS/INS Tactical System (M-MIGITS^TM) Military-Off-The-Shelf (MOTS) INS/GPS product to support CAC's IMGTS GN&C     

GPS/INS integration on the Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM)

The Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) is a worldwide, all-weather, precision-strike weapon system deployed from carrier-based aircraft. In the primary mode of operation, target location and other mission data are generated from intelligence sources available on the aircraft carrier and loaded into the missile prior to aircraft takeoff. After missile launch, the SLAM inertial navigation system (INS) guides the missile along the planned trajectory. Updating the missile INS from the Global Positioning System (GPS) during flight provides precise midcourse navigation and enhances target acquisition by accurate, on-target pointing of the SLAM Maverick seeker. The GPS/INS avionics and software integration used for SLAM are described in detail, along with some of the design tradeoffs that led to the approach. The avionics configuration integrates the Harpoon midcourse guidance unit, which includes a strapdown inertial sensor package and digital processor, with a Rockwell-Collins single-channel, sequential GPS receiver processor unit (RPU), a derivative of the GPS phase-III user equipment. In addition to the GPS receiver elements the RPU contains the navigation processor, which executes the SLAM navigation, Kalman filter algorithms, and other guidance algorithms including seeker pointing. Flight-test results of the SLAM GPS-aided INS are also included     

GNSS/INS深组合技术研究进展与展望

在GNSS/INS组合导航领域,深组合是最深层次的组合方式,随着航空、航天、军事等应用对导航系统性能要求的提升,深组合技术逐步成为国内外研究的重点。通过对GNSS/INS深组合的技术起源与结构发展过程的梳理,总结出当前对深组合概念理解的两种立场。按照接收机环路跟踪结构与信息处理方式不同,将深组合结构分为标量深组合、相干矢量深组合以及非相干矢量深组合3种类型,其中相干矢量深组合又可以分为级联式和集中式两种结构。综述了国内外深组合技术的研究现状并指出了当前研究中存在的问题,最后结合实际应用需求对深组合的发展进行了展望。     

GPS/SINS超紧组合导航的性能分析

GPS接收机在高动态环境下很容易失锁,特别是载体的高动态造成的应力对接收机载波跟踪环影响很大。为了解决高动态环境下的组合导航,分析了GPS接收机载波跟踪环的测量误差和跟踪门限,采用惯导速度辅助GPS接收机跟踪环路的超紧组合结构。超紧组合需要涉及到GPS接收机跟踪环内部编排及高动态环境下的实验数据,难度较大。针对超紧组合仿真专门开发了GPS实时软件接收机、高动态GPS中频信号仿真器和惯导模拟器并构建了一个完整的GPS/SINS超紧组合仿真系统。仿真结果表明,该超紧组合导航系统可以跟踪50g的加速度和10倍音速。     

惯导/北斗/里程计一体化紧组合导航方法研究

当前,主要通过采用惯导/卫星导航组合或者惯导/里程计组合的方式来实现 车辆的定位定向;卫星信号良好时,惯导系统与卫星导航组合实现车辆定位定向,当卫 星导航信号不好甚至没有信号无法正常工作时,惯导系统与里程计组合实现车辆定位定 向。提出一种惯导/卫星导航/里程计三者的一体化组合方案,针对惯导、北斗、里程计 这三项测量设备构成的组合系统建立了统一的误差状态模型、组合量测模型以及反馈修 正模型,并通过卡尔曼滤波器来实现三者的一体化紧组合,这种惯导/北斗/里程计一体 化的紧组合方式,能更好地实现三者信号之间的充分交流与融合。将这种一体化紧组合 方法与传统的惯导/北斗组合、惯导/里程计组合方法进行了仿真比较,结果表明：惯导/ 北斗/里程计一体化的紧组合方法能更加快速、准确得到传感器误差（ 包含惯组误差、 北斗误差、里程计误差）的在线估计,更能有效提高各传感器的测量精度。     

GPS/惯性组合方式讨论与导航精度分析

 本文讨论GPS/惯性组合两种方式的优缺点。并以GPS伪距和伪距率与惯导组合为例,按GPS测量误差的不同,以及使用差分机等情况,仿真计算了机载使用的组合导航性能,进行了详细的精度分析。结果表明,这种组合的导航精度比GPS和惯导各自的导航精度高。在采用差分GPS机与惯导组合后,位置误差将进一步减少,使组合导航具有开辟例如飞机进场着陆等新的使用领域的可能性。     

Mahalanobis distance-based fading cubature Kalman filter with augmented mechanism for hypersonic vehicle INS/CNS autonomous integration

Inertial Navigation System/Celestial Navigation System(INS/CNS) integration, especially for the tightly-coupled mode, provides a promising autonomous tactics for Hypersonic Vehicle(HV) in military demands. However, INS/CNS integration is a challenging research task due to its special characteristics such as strong nonlinearity, non-additive noise and dynamic complexity.This paper presents a novel nonlinear filtering method for INS/CNS integration by adopting the emerging Cubature Kalman Filter(C...     

Integration of GPS and low cost INS for pedestrian navigation aided by building layout

In outdoor environments, GPS is often used for pedestrian navigation by utilizing its signals for position computation, but in indoor or semi-obstructed environments, GPS signals are often unavailable. Therefore, pedestrian navigation for these environments should be realized by the integration of GPS and inertial navigation system （INS）. However, the lowcost INS could induce errors that may result in a large position drift. The problem can be minimized by mounting the sensors on the pedestrian＇s foot, using zero velocity update （ZUPT） method with the standard navigation algorithm to restrict the error growth. However, heading drift still remains despite using ZUPT measurements since the heading error is unobservable. Also, tbot mounted INS suffers from the initialization ambiguity of position and heading from GPS. In this paper, a novel algorithm is developed to mitigate the heading drift problem when using ZUPT. The method uses building lay- out to aid the heading measurement in Kalman filter, and it could also be combined for the initial- ization. The algorithm has been investigated with real field trials using the low cost Microstrain 3DM-GX3-25 inertial sensor, a Leica GS10 GPS receiver and a uBlox EVK-6T GPS receiver. It could be concluded that the proposed method offers a significant improvement in position accuracy for the long period, allowing pedestrian navigation for nearly40 min with mean position error less than 2.8 m. This method also has a considerable effect on the accuracy of the initialization.     

DQI-NP application to the OutriderTM Tactical UnmannedAerial Vehicle (TUAV)

A wide variety of applications can benefit from integrated Inertial Navigation System/Global Positioning System (INS/GPS) technology. However, in many situations, the end user has a preference for a specific GPS receiver. Additionally, in most cases, the user does not desire to expend the time and money necessary to perform a custom INS/GPS integration, but instead wants a low-cost off-the-shelf solution. To address these applications, Boeing has developed the Digital Quartz Inertial Measurement Unit (DQI IMU)-Navigation Processor (DQI-NP) product as an extension of its Miniature Integrated GPS/INS Tactical System (MIGITS^TM) family of integrated INS/GPS products. This paper describes the DQI-NP and its application to the Outrider^TM Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (TUAV). The DQI-NP, as currently integrated into the Outrider^TM TUAV, is coupled with a custom Trimble GPS receiver combined with major embedded firmware modifications by IntegriNautics. In conjunction with differential GPS and ground based pseudolites, the overall system is intended to provide autonomous landing capability to the Outrider TUAV. DQI-NP provides an available, low-cost, commercial-off-the-shelf/non-development item (COTS/NDI) solution to a variety of commercial and military applications, of which the Outrider ^TM TUAV is an excellent example     

GPS guidance system increases projectile accuracy

To meet the size/performance and cost-driven goals required for more advanced projectile and mortar applications, IEC focused its efforts on function consolidation, electronic signal protection, ultra-deep sensor integration, and processing stability. IEC's development has been in the utilization of silicon-based micro-machine technology for the inertial sensor, high levels of processor integration, and hardware function consolidation, making the guidance package inherently immune to the vibration and high G shock effects of the launch. In addition, the size and power are sufficiently reduced to fit the constraints of the fuse well. While a GPS “only”-based guidance system seemed an ideal solution for the lowest cost implementation of smart weapon guidance, the potential for signal jamming meant that a GPS “only” solution would not be able to guide the projectile to the target. To resolve this limitation, an anti-jam (AJ) capability had to be incorporated into the GPS receiver, and a miniature on-board inertial measurement unit (IMU) had to be part of the system. Initial laboratory tests have proven that the GPS/inertial guidance system, enhanced with a robust, low-cost AJ subsystem, performs consistently well under simulated battlefield conditions     

Online INS/GPS integration with a radial basis function neural network

Most of the present navigation systems rely on Kalman filtering to fuse data from global positioning system (GPS) and the inertial navigation system (INS). In general, INS/GPS integration provides reliable navigation solutions by overcoming each of their shortcomings, including signal blockage for GPS and growth of position errors with time for INS. Present Kalman filtering INS/GPS integration techniques have some inadequacies related to the stochastic error models of inertial sensors, immunity to noise, and observability. This paper aims to introduce a multi-sensor system integration approach for fusing data from INS and GPS utilizing artificial neural networks (ANN). A multi-layer perceptron ANN has been recently suggested to fuse data from INS and differential GPS (DGPS). Although being able to improve the positioning accuracy, the complexity associated with both the architecture of multi-layer perceptron networks and its online training algorithms limit the real-time capabilities of this technique. This article, therefore, suggests the use of an alternative ANN architecture. This architecture is based on radial basis function (RBF) neural networks, which generally have simpler architecture and faster training procedures than multi-layer perceptron networks. The INS and GPS data are first processed using wavelet multi-resolution analysis (WRMA) before being applied to the RBF network. The WMRA is used to compare the INS and GPS position outputs at different resolution levels. The RBF-ANN module is then trained to predict the INS position errors and provide accurate positioning of the moving platform. Field-test results have demonstrated that substantial improvement in INS/GPS positioning accuracy could be obtained by applying the combined WRMA and RBF-ANN modules.     

卡尔曼滤波在某型组合导航系统模拟器中的应用

为提高某型GPS／INS组合导航系统模拟器模拟数据的真实性和飞行软件包、GPS模拟器、组合导航系统模拟器三者交联的有效性,在该模拟器中设计了卡尔曼滤波器。文中在介绍模拟器工作原理的基础上,建立了GPS／INS位置与速度组合方式下的卡尔曼滤波器的状态方程和量测方程,用U-D分解法建立了卡尔曼滤波方程,给出了纯惯导及组合后系统的位置与速度误差仿真曲线,并对仿真结果进行了系统测试,最后与其它模拟器进行了组网导航训练测试。     

Design and Development of a Real-Time DSP and FPGA-Based Integrated GPS-INS System for Compact and Low Power Applications

Emphasis of the present work is on an elegant real-time solution for GPS/INS integration. Micro-electro mechanical system (MEMS) based inertial sensors are light but not accurate enough for inertial navigation system (INS) applications. An integrated INS/GPS system provides better accuracy compared with either INS or GPS, used individually. This paper describes an improved design and fabrication of a loosely coupled INS-GPS integrated system. The systems currently available use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and are, therefore, not optimized for compact, single supply, and low power requirements. In the proposed system, a digital signal processor (DSP) is used for inertial navigation solution and Kalman filter computations. A field programmable gate array (FPGA) is used for creating an efficient interface of the GPS with the DSP. Direct serial interface of the GPS involve tedious processing overhead on the navigation processor. Therefore, a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) and dual port random axis memory (DPRAM) are created on the FPGA itself. This also reduces the total chip count, resulting in a compact system. The system is designed to give real time processed navigation solutions with an update rate of 100 Hz. All the details of this work are presented.     

Low cost guidance for the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)artillery rocket

The US Army Aviation and Missile Command has demonstrated the application of advanced technology to significantly improve the accuracy and range of the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) through the Guided MLRS Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD). The addition of a cost-effective guidance and control package to the rocket results in a weapon system that can defeat the target at ranges up to 70 km with significantly fewer rounds. This not only increases the destructive capability of the system but also reduces the cost of the expended ammunition, the cost to transport the ammunition to the combat zone, and the number of launchers required to execute the mission. The guidance kit is housed in the nose of the MLRS and consists of an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), four independent electromechanically actuated canards, a GPS receiver, GPS antennas, a thermal battery, a guidance computer, and power supply electronics. Roll decoupling of the warhead and motor section was required to allow roll control of the guidance section to enable accurate inertial navigation and was accomplished by joining the two sections with a roll bearing. Five flight missiles were built and tested during the ATD. A tightly coupled eight channel GPS receiver was flown on all flights. This paper discusses the ATD development effort and presents flight test results     

Optimal nonlinear filtering in GPS/INS integration

The application of optimal nonlinear/non-Gaussian filtering to the problem of INS/GPS integration in critical situations is described. This approach is made possible by a new technique called particle filtering, and exhibits superior performance when compared with classical suboptimal techniques such as extended Kalman filtering. Particle filtering theory is introduced and GPS/INS integration simulation results are discussed.     

基于RTS滤波的GPS+BDS 非差非组合PPP/INS紧组合模型

GPS高精度定位技术在动态复杂环境中,其定位精度、可靠性和连续性因卫星信号频繁失锁而变差。为此,提出了采用基于RTS滤波(Rauch-Tung-Striebel Filter)的GPS+BDS非差非组合PPP(Precise Point Positioning)与INS(Inertial Navigation System)紧组合模型的策略来克服GPS在动态定位中的弱点。其中,采用GPS+BDS双系统观测数据,可提高PPP解算中的可用卫星数,改善星站间定位几何强度和提高PPP收敛速度;采用PPP/INS紧组合,利用INS的自主定位特性和短期高精度特性,可有效改善复杂环境下的定位精度和连续性;采用RTS滤波,可进一步提高PPP/INS紧组合性能。首先推导了GPS+BDS非差非组合函数模型、PPP/INS紧组合函数模型和RTS滤波函数模型,然后利用一组车载动态数据,对动态GPS PPP、GPS+BDS PPP、GPS/INS紧组合、GPS+BDS PPP/INS紧组合和基于RTS的GPS+BDS PPP/IMU紧组合的定位、测速和定姿性能进行分析。实验结果表明,该方案可有效提高定位(58%～72%)、测速(74%～82%)和定姿(4%～23%)精度,特别是对卫星失锁期间的定位性能改善尤为明显。     

INS辅助GPS接收机及抗干扰能力的分析

针对高动态或低信噪比条件下GPS卫星信号容易失锁的特点,根据GPS接收机码／载波跟踪环特性,研究分析了惯性导航（INS）辅助GPS接收机原理及其抗干扰能力。在复杂电磁环境下,INS辅助GPS接收机（特别是紧耦合GPS/INS组合模式）是组合导航的发展方向。     

部分模糊度固定方法在GNSS/INS紧组合中的应用研究

针对动态环境下GNSS/INS导航定位模糊度固定难的问题,提出了一种基于部分模糊度固定的GNSS/INS紧组合导航定位算法,通过选择模糊度的最优子集进行固定,并利用实测车载实验进行了算法验证.实验结果表明:在开阔环境下,基于部分模糊度固定的GNSS/INS紧组合与基于全模糊度固定的GNSS/INS紧组合算法的定位精度相...     

Multipath-adaptive GPS/INS receiver

Multipath interference is one of the contributing sources of errors in precise global positioning system (GPS) position determination. This paper identifies key parameters of a multipath signal, focusing on estimating them accurately in order to mitigate multipath effects. Multiple model adaptive estimation (MMAE) techniques are applied to an inertial navigation system (INS)-coupled GPS receiver, based on a federated (distributed) Kalman filter design, to estimate the desired multipath parameters. The system configuration is one in which a GPS receiver and an INS are integrated together at the level of the in-phase and quadrature phase (I and Q) signals, rather than at the level of pseudo-range signals or navigation solutions. The system model of the MMAE is presented and the elemental Kalman filter design is examined. Different parameter search spaces are examined for accurate multipath parameter identification. The resulting GPS/INS receiver designs are validated through computer simulation of a user receiving signals from GPS satellites with multipath signal interference present The designed adaptive receiver provides pseudo-range estimates that are corrected for the effects of multipath interference, resulting in an integrated system that performs well with or without multipath interference present.