Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.

Litton Systems, Inc.

Northrop Grumman Corpoation

Charles H Volk

Daniel A Tazartes

A Douglas Meyer

Mostafa A Karam

James R Huddle

Kenneth Marino

Maureen Lipman, Legal Representative

Henry C Abbink

Christine E Geosling

Edward Kanegsberg

Charles A Lee

Tae M Kwon

Raj K Shori

Victor F Strachan

Jerome S Lipman

Rosario J Milelli

Azmat H Siddiqi

John M Canfield

James D Assendrup

Ann T Nicol

Hector Macias

Jerome S Di Lipman

A control system includes a processor that operates one or more control loops that enable gyroscopic angular measurement for an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Each of the one or more control loops operates over a range of set points defined for each of the respective control loops. A dynamic loop adjuster receives environmental input data to determine environmental conditions for the IMU. The dynamic loop adjuster alters at least one of the set points for at least one of the one or more control loops operated by the processor based on the determined environmental conditions.

Adaptive inertial measurement system and method

One embodiment of the invention includes a material detection system. The system includes a sensor system configured to collect radiation from a region of interest. The collected radiation can include a plurality of frequency bands. The system also includes a processing unit configured to detect a material of interest. The material of interest can be a concealed dielectric material, and the processing unit can be configured to decompose the collected radiation into natural resonance signals to analyze the natural resonance signals to detect an anomaly corresponding to the concealed dielectric material based on wave characteristics of the natural resonance signals. The processing unit could also include processing layers associated with the plurality of frequency bands for detecting and identifying the material of interest based on wave characteristics associated with each of the plurality of frequency bands of the collected radiation.

Systems and methods for detecting and/or identifying materials

One embodiment of the invention includes a material detection and/or identification system. The system includes an electromagnetic (EM) sensor system configured to collect EM radiation from a region of interest. The collected EM radiation could comprise orthogonally-polarized EM radiation. The system also includes a processing unit configured to detect and identify a material of interest in the region of interest. As an example, the processing unit could measure reflectivity data associated with a material of interest based on the collected EM radiation and calculate a refractive index of a material of interest based on the measured reflectivity data, such that the material of interest is identified based on the refractive index. The processing unit can also be configured to calculate a surface roughness associated with the material, such that the refractive index can be calculated based on the surface roughness associated with the material.

Systems and methods for detecting and/or identifying materials based on electromagnetic radiation

A sensor system uses ground emitters to illuminate a projectile in flight with a polarized RF beam. By monitoring the polarization modulation of RF signals received from antenna elements mounted on the projectile, both angular orientation and angular rate signals can be derived and used in the inertial solution in place of the gyroscope. Depending on the spacing and positional accuracies of the RF ground emitters, position information of the projectile may also be derived, which eliminates the need for accelerometers. When RF signals of ground emitter/s are blocked from the guided projectile, the sensor deploys another plurality of RF antennas mounted on the projectile nose to determine position and velocity vectors and orientation of incoming targets.

GPS independent guidance sensor system for gun-launched projectiles

An exemplary navigation system uses a master navigation component at a first location in a vehicle and a slave navigation component at a second location that is a variable displacement to the first location due to physical deformation of the vehicle. Static and dynamic location components provide static and dynamic information of the displacement between the first and second locations. An error estimator estimates errors in the navigational measurement data generated by the slave navigation component based on the navigational measurement data generated by the master navigation component and the displacement information provided by the static and dynamic location components. The master navigation component corrects the navigation measurement data of the slave navigation component based on the determined error and translates the corrected navigation measurement data of the slave navigation component into navigational measurement data in its coordinate system.

System for multiple navigation components

One embodiment of the invention includes a system for measuring at least one thermal property of a material. The system includes a thermal source configured to generate an incident thermal wave that propagates through a medium and is provided onto the material at an incident angle. The system also includes a thermal detector that is configured to receive a reflected thermal wave corresponding to the incident thermal wave reflected from the material at a reflection angle that is approximately equal to the incident angle. The system further includes a controller configured to control a magnitude of the incident angle to ascertain a thermal Brewster angle of the material and to calculate the at least one thermal property of the material based on the thermal Brewster angle.

Systems and methods for measuring at least one thermal property of materials based on a thermal brewster angle

An exemplary navigation system uses a master navigation component at a first location with a first sensor in a vehicle and a slave navigation component with a second sensor at a second location that is a variable displacement to the first location due to physical deformation of the vehicle. Static and dynamic location components provide static and dynamic information of the displacement between the first and second locations. A flexural model based on the deformation characteristics calculates the dynamic displacement. An error estimator estimates errors in the navigation measurement data of the slave navigation component based on the displacement information. The master navigational component corrects the navigation measurement data of the slave navigation component based on the determined error, translates the corrected navigation measurement data of the slave navigation component into navigation measurement data in its coordinate system, and combines the output of the second sensor based on the corrected navigation measurement data with the output of the first sensor into a combined result.

System for interferometric sensing

A cell in one example comprises an alkali metal and a coating of parylene on an interior surface of the cell. In one implementation, the alkali metal may be an optically pumped gaseous phase of an alkali metal. The parylene coating minimizes interaction of the excited state of the alkali metal, increases lifetime of the excited state, and minimizes interaction of nuclear spin states with the cell walls.

Micro-cell for NMR gyroscope

In an embodiment of a ring laser gyroscope, a hollow bandgap fiber is filled with a gas or material that will generate laser beams within the fiber upon being excited by an energy source. A detector coupled to the fiber detects a standing wave pattern within the fiber, wherein changes in the detected standing wave pattern indicates a corresponding change in the orientation of the fiber.

Ring laser gyroscope that does not require mirrors

An exemplary system that provides for navigation redundancy includes first and second navigation components adapted to determine first and second navigation parameters, respectively. A network component determines a relationship between the first and second navigation components, wherein the relationship describes a navigation solution for the second navigation component in terms of the first navigation component. A health monitor determines a health indicator for the second navigation component. The second navigation component determines a navigation solution for the second navigation parameters when the health indicator indicates a healthy condition. The network component determines a navigation solution for the second navigation parameters based on the relationship that describes behavior of the second navigation component in terms of the first navigation component when the health indicator indicates an unhealthy condition.

System for navigation redundancy

A ring laser gyroscope has an electrically insulating barrier ring placed between the grounded metal mounting device and the frame, which is formed of a lithium aluminosilicate material that contains mobile ions. The barrier ring prevents migration of the ions from the frame material to the mirrors that are used to direct the counterpropagating waves around the closed path in the ring laser gyroscope.

Ionic conduction barrier for ring laser gyroscope bodies

There is disclosed a nuclear magnetic alignment device for use in a nuclear magnetic resonance gyroscope and the like. One embodiment includes a container for gas having a layer of rubidium hydride on its inner surface. The container comprising a spherical portion and a tip portion, is rotationally symmetric about an axis of symmetry. Enclosed within the container is a nuclear moment gas having a nuclear electric quadrupole moment, such as xenon-131, and an optically pumpable substance, such as rubidium. A portion of the rubidium is a vapor. The remainder is a condensed pellet which is deposited in the tip of the container such that the pellet is also rotationally symmetric about the axis of symmetry of the container. A layer of rubidium hydride is deposited on the inner surface of the container. The device further includes means for orienting the symmetry axis of the container at an angle to an applied magnetic field such that the relaxation time constant of the aligned nuclear moment gas is substantially at a maximum.

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Newbury Park, CA, United States of America

Charles H Volk