Rockwell Collins Control Technologies, Inc.

Athena Technologies, Inc.

Behnam Motazed

Vladislav Gavrilets

David W Vos

An image-augmented inertial navigation system includes an inertial navigation system configured to estimate a navigation state vector and an imager configured to output pixel signals associated with terrain features passing through a field view of the imager. The system further includes a processing unit configured to determine a distance from the imager to each of the pixel signals for a given image frame and to determine a distance between the imager and a centroid of one or more of the terrain features passing through the field of view of the imager for the given image frame. The processing unit is also configured to track each terrain feature as the terrain features pass through the field of view of the imager. The processing unit is further configured to update the navigation state vector of the inertial navigation system based on calculated NED coordinates position information of the tracked terrain features.

Image augmented inertial navigation system (IAINS) and method

An image-augmented inertial navigation system (LAWS) mounted on a vehicle () includes an inertial navigation system (INS) configured to estimate a navigation state vector and an imager () configured to output pixel signals associated with terrain features passing through a field of view (x, y, z) of the imager. The system (IAINS) further includes a processing unit operatively connected to the inertial navigation system (INS) and the imager (). The processing unit is configured to sense a distance from the imager to a centroid of one or more of the terrain features passing though a field of view of the imager for a given image frame associated with the feature pixel signals. The processing unit is also configured to track each terrain feature as the terrain features pass through the field of view of the imager. The processing unit is further configured to update the navigation state vector of the inertial navigation system (INS) based on calculated NED (North, East, Down) coordinates position information of the inertial navigation system (INS) relative to the tracked terrain features.

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Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Behnam Motazed