Cockpit Helmet Tracking System Using Miniature Inertial Reference Sensors

InterSense has previously developed ultra-miniature (0.6 in.3) MEMS-based InertiaCubeT inertial measurement units for human motion tracking. In this SBIR, we will further miniaturize and apply them to cockpit helmet-tracking by developing integration and Kalman filtering algorithms for differential inertial tracking between helmet-mounted and aircraft-mounted inertial sensors, and novel optical drift correction techniques. By fusing low-rate inside-out and outside-in optical measurements with high-rate inertial data, we will achieve sub-millimeter position accuracy and sub-milliradian angular accuracy, low-latency and high robustness using small and inexpensive sensors. During Phase 1 we will produce a prototype tracking system suitable for flight testing and explore four innovative techniques to produce a revolutionary advance in cockpit helmet tracking. We will prove the differential inertial tracking approach with a working prototype, evaluate the relative benefits and trade-offs of inside-outside-in v. outside-in optical aiding approaches, define powerful estimation-theoretic auto-calibration and auto-boresight procedures to achieve quick and accurate cockpit installation and pre-flight alignment, explore using direct high-bandwidth feedback from the inertial sensors to image-shifting optics to cancel display vibration, identify suitable optical wavelengths for covert operation, and develop a plan to miniaturize and harden the inertial and vision sensors in Phase 2.