Systems and methods for aerial based navigation
AssigneePsionic Inc
InventorsStephen Parker Sandford, Diego Fernando Pierrottet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus for providing self-contained guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) functions for a vehicle moving through an environment on or near the ground, in the air or in space without externally provided information are disclosed. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention includes a Heading Sensor (36), an Absolute Location Sensor (38), a timer (40), a Range Doppler Processor (42), a Navigation Reference Sensor (44), an Area Range and a Velocity Sensor (46) which provide enhanced navigation information about a universal reference frame (22) and one or more targets (20).
Claims20
A self-contained system of an aerial vehicle for air based navigation, the self-contained system comprising:
- a first sensor comprising:
- a first beam director, the first beam director configured to direct one or more first emitted signals from the self-contained system toward a reference point relative to ground over which an aerial vehicle is traveling and receive one or more first return signals reflected from the reference point based at least one on the one or more first emitted signals;
- a second sensor comprising:
- a second beam director, the second beam director configured to direct one or more second emitted signals from the self-contained system toward the ground and receive one or more second return signals reflected from the ground based at least one on the one or more second emitted signals;
- one or more processors coupled with memory to:
- determine, based on the one or more first emitted signals and the one or more first return signals, one or more velocity vectors of the aerial vehicle relative to the reference point, each of the one or more velocity vectors comprising a magnitude of velocity and a direction of travel of the aerial vehicle along a line of sight of the one or more first emitted signals relative to the aerial vehicle;
- determine, based on the one or more second emitted signals and the one or more second return signals, one or more measurements of altitude of the aerial vehicle relative to the ground;
- and
- determine a location of the aerial vehicle based on the one or more velocity vectors and the one or more measurements of altitude.
A computer-implemented method for air-based navigation of an aerial vehicle using a self-contained system, the method comprising:
- directing, by a first beam director of a first sensor, one or more first emitted signals toward a reference point relative to ground over which the aerial vehicle is traveling';
- receiving one or more first return signals reflected from the reference point based at least in part on the one or more first emitted signals;
- determining, by one or more processors, based on the one or more first emitted signals and the one or more first return signals, one or more velocity vectors of the aerial vehicle relative to the reference point, each velocity vector comprising a magnitude of velocity and a direction of travel of the aerial vehicle along a line of sight of the one or more first emitted signals relative to the aerial vehicle;
- directing, by a second beam director of a second sensor, one or more second emitted signals toward the ground;
- receiving one or more second return signals reflected from the ground based at least in part on the one or more second emitted signals;
- determining, by the one or more processors, based on the one or more second emitted signals and the one or more second return signals, one or more measurements of altitude of the aerial vehicle relative to the ground;
- and
- determining, by the one or more processors, a location of the aerial vehicle based on the one or more velocity vectors and the one or more measurements of altitude.
A signal processing apparatus for use in an aerial vehicle for air-based navigation, the apparatus comprising:
- one or more input interfaces configured to receive:
- (i) one or more first return signals reflected from a reference point relative to ground over which the aerial vehicle is traveling, and
- (ii) one or more second return signals reflected from the ground;
- one or more processors coupled with memory and configured to:
- determine, based on the one or more first return signals, one or more velocity vectors of the aerial vehicle relative to the reference point, each velocity vector comprising a magnitude of velocity and a direction of travel of the aerial vehicle along a line of sight relative to the aerial vehicle;
- determine, based on the one or more second return signals, one or more measurements of altitude of the aerial vehicle relative to the ground;
- and
- determine a location of the aerial vehicle based on the one or more velocity vectors and the one or more measurements of altitude.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.