Integrated gps/inertial navigation apparatus providing improved heading estimates

摘要

The integrated GPS/inertial navigation apparatus utilizes satellite signals received with two spatially-separated antennas to achieve improved heading estimates for a mobile platform. Each satellite signal comprises one or more component signals with each component signal having a different carrier frequency. The integrated GPS/inertial navigation apparatus consists of a receiver and an inertial navigation system. The receiver measures the carrier phase of each of one or more component signals of one or more satellite signals received by each of the two antennas during successive time periods of duration Tp. Phase measured during a Tp time period is called Tp-phase. Only one component signal of one satellite signal received by one antenna is measured during any Tp time period. The receiver utilizes the Tp-phases of each component signal obtained during a Tk time period to estimate the phase of the component signal at the end of the Tk time period, the estimated phase at the end of the Tk time period being called the Tk-phase. The inertial navigation system, comprising inertial sensors and a digital processor, utilizes the Tk-phases in determining the heading of the vehicle and the displacement of each of the two antennas from the inertial sensors of the inertial navigation system. The measured phase of a component signal is subject to error as a result of the satellite signal traversing the ionosphere. The inertial navigation system achieves more accurate estimates of heading and antenna displacements by utilizing the Tk-phases in determining ionospheric corrections to phase. <IMAGE>