The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 05, 2026
Filed:
Dec. 13, 2023
Atlantic Inertial Systems Limited, Plymouth, GB;
Geoffrey Thomas Henderson, Yelverton, GB;
ATLANTIC INERTIAL SYSTEMS LIMITED, Plymouth, GB;
Abstract
A navigation system for an aircraft includes a microelectromechanical systems inertial measurement unit (MEMS-IMU), a camera that captures, over time, a series of images of the terrain below the aircraft, a terrain map comprising terrain elevation data, an inertial navigation system (INS) and an optical terrain-referenced navigation unit (O-TRN). The INS generates a first position estimate based on one or more signals output by the MEMS-IMU. The O-TRN identifies a terrain feature in an image captured by the camera, derives a terrain height estimate of the terrain feature, and generates a second position estimate based on a comparison between the terrain height estimate and terrain elevation data extracted from the terrain map. The navigation system generates a third position estimate based on the first position estimate and the second position estimate.