US 11,112,860 B2 · Helmet tracker buffeting compensation

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for determining the orientation of an object relative to a platform likely to be exposed to buffeting. The object may be a helmet worn by a pilot in which orientation of the helmet relative the aircraft while in flight may usefully be known, in particular when determining the position of space-stabilised symbols being displayed in an associated helmet-mounted digital display system. According to the method, not only may orientation of an object may be predicted at some time ahead of a time point of validity of source sensor data, but the prediction may be dynamically configured to according to a detected severity of buffeting to reduce the effects of the buffeting upon the quality of data output by the system. The method includes measuring the severity of any buffeting using the same source data as used to determine orientation of the object.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A tracker system for determining orientation of an object, comprising:

a sensor arrangement associated with the object, arranged to output rate data providing a cyclic indication of a rate of change in orientation of the object;
a processor configured to:
receive the rate data output by the sensor arrangement and to predict from the received rate data an orientation of the object at a predetermined prediction time period ahead of a time point of validity of the received rate data;
receive the rate data output by the sensor arrangement and to determine therefrom a measure of buffeting severity upon the object;
and
determine whether the determined measure of buffeting severity is greater than a threshold;
adjust an operating parameter used for the prediction from the received rate data based in part on whether the determined measure of buffeting severity is greater than the threshold or not to compensate for the determined measure of buffeting severity.

4 more elements

A computer-implemented method for determining orientation of an object, comprising the steps:

(i) receiving, from a sensor arrangement associated with the object, rate data providing a cyclic indication of a rate of change in orientation of the object;
(ii) determining, from the rate data received over a number of cycles, a measure of buffeting severity upon the object;
(iii) determine whether the determined measure of buffeting severity is greater than a threshold;
and
(iv) predicting, from received the rate data, using a configurable prediction process, an orientation of the object at a predetermined prediction time period ahead of a time point of validity of the received rate data, wherein one or more operating parameters in the configurable prediction process is changed in part based on a relationship between the determined measure of buffeting severity and the threshold.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Helmet tracker buffeting compensation

Life of this patent

Helmet tracker buffeting compensation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19