David L Dodson

US Patent:

50124242, Apr 30, 1991

Filed:

Feb 22, 1989

Appl. No.:

7/313927

Inventors:

David W. Dodson - Glendale AZ

Assignee:

Honeywell Inc. - Minneapolis MN

International Classification:

G05D 110
G01C 2100

US Classification:

364449

Abstract:

A multiple sensor system and method for computing position and velocity from data from three or more independent and similar inertial sensor units, which are connected to a computer unit, includes: resolving the data from each sensor unit into a common coordinate system for obtaining a unit position vector and a horizontal velocity vector for each of the three sensor units; comparing in a comparison test each unit position vector with a corresponding unit position vector of a selective prior reading thereof for each of the sensor units; comparing in the comparison test each velocity vector with a corresponding velocity vector of a selective prior reading for each of the sensor units; determining by using a selective comparison process which sensor units pass the comparison tests of the comparisons of each of the sensor units, and computing position and velocity using a first selective computing process if less than three sensor units pass their comparison tests, or computing position and velocity using a second selective computing process, if three or more sensor units pass their comparison tests.