Hybrid inertial navigation system and method

Patent Number: 12038285
Issued: 7/16/2024
Official Filing: View the Complete Patent
Abstract: A hybrid inertial navigation system and method are provided. The system includes a conventional inertial measurement unit (with a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope operating at a high data rate and low sensitivity), light pulse atom interferometer accelerometer and gyroscope (operating at a low data rate and high sensitivity), and a processing system. The method of the hybrid inertial navigation system includes precisely determining an acceleration and an angular velocity and allowing light pulse atom interferometry operation under dynamic environments. A processing system of the hybrid inertial navigation system performs feedforward correction operations on the light-pulse atom interferometer accelerometer and gyroscope of the hybrid inertial navigation system. The processing system determines one or more control signals based on the inertial information from the conventional inertial measurement unit, a light pulse atom interferometer model, and the feedforward algorithm.
Filed: 8/9/2021
Government Interests: STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-NA0003525 awarded by the United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. The Government has certain rights in the invention.