Flight Deck Sensor Fusion for GPS-Denied Weapon Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing navigation, fuzing, and guidance systems for unmanned vehicles are vulnerable to GPS jamming, spoofing, and hacking, leading to inaccurate navigation and unsafe arming of weapons systems, especially in degraded environments, and are costly due to reliance on high-grade IMUs.
Innovation Solution
A modular flight deck unit incorporating multiple low-cost IMUs, sensor fusion algorithms, and diverse sensor configurations to provide accurate navigation and fuzing, ensuring weapons systems remain disarmed within safety zones and are only armed when safe to do so, using a combination of inertial sensors, visual imaging, and other sensors to enhance precision and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If multiple low-cost IMUs are used instead of a single high-grade IMU, then cost is reduced and device complexity is decreased, but measurement precision and reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple low-cost IMUs into a unified sensor system that functions as a single high-precision navigation unit. By merging the data from multiple independent IMUs and processing them through sensor fusion algorithms, the system achieves navigation accuracy comparable to or exceeding that of a single tactical-grade IMU, while significantly reducing cost and improving reliability through redundancy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses multiple copies of low-cost IMU components instead of a single expensive high-grade IMU. Each IMU provides redundant measurement capabilities, and through coordinated processing, the system achieves the same measurement precision as a single high-grade unit while benefiting from the cost advantages and fault tolerance of having multiple independent sensors.
2Measurement precision
If GPS-dependent navigation systems are used, then navigation accuracy is improved in open environments, but reliability deteriorates in GPS-denied or degraded environments due to jamming and spoofing
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary inertial navigation system that operates independently of GPS signals. The IMUs serve as intermediaries that can provide continuous navigation data without relying on external GPS infrastructure, thereby maintaining reliability in GPS-denied environments while still achieving high accuracy through the intermediary processing and fusion of multiple sensor inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the navigation system by transitioning from GPS-dependent to GPS-independent inertial navigation. This parameter change enables the system to operate reliably in degraded environments where GPS signals are unavailable or compromised, while maintaining navigation accuracy through precise inertial measurement and sensor fusion techniques.
3Productivity
If weapon arming systems are enabled for rapid deployment, then productivity is improved, but safety deteriorates due to risk of accidental arming within safety zones
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback control through continuous monitoring of GPS location data and real-time comparison with predefined safety zones. The arming system receives feedback about the vehicle's current position and only enables weapon arming when the feedback confirms the vehicle is outside safety zones, thereby maintaining safety while allowing rapid deployment when conditions are appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary verification of location and safety zone status before enabling weapon arming capabilities. By checking the vehicle's position relative to safety zones in advance and only then permitting arming, the system ensures safety protocols are met before rapid deployment occurs, preventing accidental arming while maintaining operational efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to navigation, fuzing, and guidance of vehicles, and more particularly to such capabilities for unmanned vehicles, drones, or other related systems. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a flight deck unit comprising sensors and electronics adapted to perform the navigation, fuzing, and/or guidance for such systems. Preferably, the flight deck unit is adapted for performing navigation, fuzing, and guidance in GPS denied or degraded environments and is immune to spoofing, jamming, and hacking, thereby providing safe and accurate navigation, fuzing, and guidance regardless of the arena or environment. Further, the invention is directed to a system for providing safety supervision of weapons systems on vehicles or projectiles. More particularly, the safety supervision is adapted for ensuring that weapon-level safety measures are unable to be disengaged while the vehicle or projectile is within a safety zone.