Miniature High-Altitude Precision Navigation Alternative

ABSTRACT: The ability to maintain precision navigation without periodic position updates from GPS is challenging. Adding to the challenge, the flight dynamics and operational environment of medium / high altitude platforms limit the availability and precision of traditional non-GPS positioning systems. Sun sensors and star-trackers lack the needed precision, while dense clouds and lack of features over flat terrain render ground-image referencing systems inadequate. To address this navigation challenge for transonic through hypersonic weapon systems and UAVs, SA Photonics proposes development of a highly stable, ultra sensitive, inertial measurement unit 100X more stable and sensitive than existing navigation sensors. Our IMU enables 3 meter accuracy with very low update frequency, with updates originating from a sparsely populated network of ground based reference stations. BENEFIT: Existing inertial navigation systems are capable of 0.5 to 1.0 nautical miles per hour positioning error, and are relatively expensive, as they are based on fiber optic gyros or ring laser gyros. Other MEMs gyro based INS are smaller and compact, but have 20 to 100X worse performance and rely even more so on GPS than the fiber gyro and RLG INS"s. SA Photonics proposed solution improves inertial sensor performance up to 100X over high performance INSs today, and uses technology that is more compatible with the need for lower cost and smaller packages required by smaller, unmanned air vehicles.