Dissimilar Tracking Technologies for High-Integrity Aircraft Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tracking systems in vehicles, particularly aircraft, face challenges in maintaining high-fidelity tracking during rapid changes in orientation due to buffeting, and they often require multiple redundant systems that add weight and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize Dissimilar Tracking Technologies (DTT) to provide high-integrity tracking data by corroborating data from multiple sources, including opto-inertial trackers, HMD camera trackers, eye trackers, and hand gesture trackers, to ensure continuous and accurate tracking even in hazardous and catastrophic risk scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple redundant tracking systems are used to ensure high integrity and no single point of failure, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple dissimilar tracking technologies (optical tracker, inertial tracker, camera-based tracker) into a single integrated tracking system that processes data from all sources through a unified consolidation algorithm, achieving high integrity without proportional increase in complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The tracking system is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously - it can operate in high-integrity mode using all available trackers, switch to degraded mode using subset of trackers, and provide various types of tracking data (position, orientation, velocity) from a single integrated platform
2Reliability
If multiple redundant tracking systems are used to provide fail-safe behavior, then reliability is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple tracking technologies into a single integrated system where sensors and processors are shared across different tracking functions, reducing total weight compared to completely separate redundant systems
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional tracking systems are used in buffeting environments, then ease of implementation is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of individual trackers by fusing their outputs through a consolidation algorithm that weights and combines data from optical, inertial, and camera-based trackers, maintaining precision in buffeting environments where individual trackers would fail
4Measurement precision
If dissimilar tracking technologies are integrated to provide high-fidelity tracking, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical redundancy (multiple complete tracking systems) with algorithmic consolidation (software-based data fusion), achieving high fidelity tracking through computational methods rather than additional hardware
Data Source
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AI summary
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of providing tracking data to a user of a platform in an environment, wherein the platform has associated therewith one or more input and output devices configured to track one or more variables of data associated with the user, the platform, or the environment; to generate the tracking data; and to provide an output representing the tracking data, the method comprising: processing data received from one or more input devices to determine tracking data relating to a relative position of the user to at least one of the platform and the environment; identifying the one or more input devices of the received data the or each having associated therewith a respective priority value; determining a target tracking score level based on a required level of safety; determine a first tracking score for a first input device of the one or more input devices, having a highest priority; determine a second tracking score for a second input device of the one or more input devices, having a second highest priority; combining the first tracking score with the second tracking score to produce a consolidated tracking score; comparing the target tracking score with consolidated tracking score; and in response to determining the consolidated tracking score is greater than or equal to the target tracking score, creating consolidated tracking data from the first input device and the second output device; providing the consolidated tracking data to the user.