Advanced Prototyping Techniques for Integrated GPS/INS Systems

Accurate position, velocity, and attitude information is of key importance for a wide variety of moving devices and platforms. In this project, a Real-Time hardware/software (RTHS) structure is presented for designing advanced GPS/INS navigation systems, which are able to provide accurate position, velocity and attitude. The RTHS framework is applied to unify and optimize various integrated GPS system modeling, analysis, synthesis, and simulation techniques. The hardware structure of the RTHS is a microprocessor based real-time signal processing /estimation/simulation facility, which is designed to be reprogrammable, reliable, stable, and user friendly. The RTHS's structure is applied to unify an optimize various GPS data processing and integrated GPS/INS techniques into a system which consists of hardware structure design, interface implementation and software development. The real-time software structure for the RTHS is designed to circumvent the always present hardware limitations and be useful for more application through a well designed supporting software development system. The processing software is used for existing system upgrades and new system designs. Given a specific problem, the software provides an optimal solution by reconfiguring the system.