An Inexpensive DME-Aided Dead Reckoning Navigator
by
Gebre-Egziabher, D., C. O. Lee Boyce, J. D. Powell, P. K. Enge
in
ION Journal of Navigation, Vol. 50, No. 4, pp. 247-263., 2004.
Category: Journal Article
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Abstract:
The recent availability of inexpensive microprocessors and solid state sensors has facilitated the construction of multisensor systems for use in costsensitive aerospace navigation and guidance applications. These systems are based on the efficient, real-time processing and fusion of information from an array of sensors. An example of a cost-sensitive application that has benefited from this approach is attitude determination in general aviation aircraft, where accurate and reliable attitude heading reference systems (AHRSs) that rely on solid state sensors are replacing mechanical rate gyros as the primary attitude sensor. The sensor suite required to mechanize these AHRSs consists of an inertial measurement unit, magnetometers, air data sensors, and in some instances a GPS receiver. Although of lower quality, these are the very same sensors found in the navigation and guidance systems of military and newer commercial jets. In military and commercial jets, these sensors are part of a larger flight management system (FMS) and provide a redundant navigation capability that does not rely on GPS. Specifically, the sensors are used to mechanize an inertial navigation system (INS)—an autonomous navigator continuously measuring an aircraft’s acceleration and rotation, from which velocity and position vectors are computed. Since the INS-derived position solution drifts over time, the FMS on these aircraft has the capability of aiding the INS with signals from ground-based navigation aides, such as distance measuring equipment (DME), very high frequency (VHF) omni directional range (VOR), and instrument landing systems (ILSs), to produce a higher-quality, drift-free navigation solution [1]. This paper investigates the possibility of mechanizing a similar navigator using the lower-quality sensors found in the newer general aviation aircraft. More specifically, the paper presents the results of a study aimed at quantifying the performance of a DME-aided dead reckoning navigator that relies on the sensors found in a typical solid state general aviation AHRS.
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