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Inertial navigation systems (INSs) have the well-known advantages of being self-contained, weatherproof, jam-proof, and non-self-revealing while providing stable navigation information with little high-frequency noise. However, their single most important drawback is the growth of their error cumulatively with time in an unbounded manner. Navigation systems based on position fixing, in contrast, offer bounded errors in the long term, but their output is usually contaminated with strong high-frequency noise. To harness the advantages of both types of systems, INSs have been traditionally aided or augmented by one or more fixing system(s). Such an arrangement preserves the excellent short-term stability and damping (i.e. high-frequency rejection) capability of INSs while limiting its long-term drift. In recent years, the availability of navigation information from the Global Positioning System (GPS) reliably and accurately over the entire globe has made it a natural choice as the means of augmentation of INSs. An integrated navigation system combining data from two or more ‘pure’systems is called a hybrid navigation system (HNS). There is no unique way of combining navigation information from the INS and GPS. Depending on the goals and specifications of the overall navigation system, the instrument and equipment available, cost constraints, and technology options, the scheme for integrating INS and GPS may take one of many forms. In generic terms integration of diverse ‘pure’ navigation systems can be performed at various levels. At the simplest and most basic level, each system may be allowed to run independently, generating its own navigation data separately which may then be combined periodically to reset any accumulated error. At the other extreme, the two (or more) systems may be intimately coupled right at their raw data levels in a quasi-continuous manner with the intention of maximising their mutually beneficial effect and deriving the ‘best’ possible navigation information. Hybrid navigation architectures have been a subject of much research and development, and a significant body of information is available on the subject. However, there are clear gaps in open literature on many practical issues that arise in the context of implementing specific HNSs. In this thesis we investigate the architecture, implementation and performance issues of HNSs that combine stand-alone INS and GPS units. The thesis consists of eight chapters. The first chapter offers an introduction to the navigation problem and discusses the basic types of navigation including inertial and satellite navigation. Inertial sensors such as gyroscopes and accelerometers and the GPS are discussed in some detail. The types and principle of gyroscopes and accelerometers and the error sources in inertial navigation are briefly covered, as also the advantages and disadvantages of INS and the trends in inertial system development.The chapter also touches upon GPS segments (space, control and user), the theory and determination of position fix, and the GPS error sources. Mention is also made of the types of GPS receiver available and the trends in GPS technologies. Integration of INS and GPS and its benefits are discussed and a set of specifications for an integrated system is laid out to serve as the basis for the configurations proposed later. The second chapter, in its three sections, provides a summary of the significant literature relevant to INS and GPS in the context of their integration. Chapter three discusses mechanisation aspects of the INS-GPS hybrid navigation system. This chapter is divided into three sections. In the first section the frames of reference, INS mechanisation and the error equations are discussed. The definitions for the various frames such as body, platform, local level, geodetic, Earth-centred-Earth-fixed (ECEF), and the computer frame are mentioned along with the direction cosine matrices for the transformation of frames. In the second section various types of mechanisation of INS and the summary of tilt, velocity and position equations are described. The INS can be mechanised in two ways: the stable platform and the strap-down. In this chapter the general error equations for platform tilt, velocity and position are listed. Platform-based systems can be mechanized as one of the following types, viz. unipolar, Focualt, north pointing and wander azimuth. The definitions and summary of the tilt, velocity and position, and the error equations are given for all these types of mechanization. The accelerometer and gyro error models are discussed. It is pointed out that inclusion of all the possible INS states in the model would lead to a 45-state system which would be too complex to handle on board. The scope for reduction of model order and the effect of such reduction are brought out. The section ends with a summary of the INS error equations considered for implementation. In the third section the GPS principle and derivation of navigation solutions based on GPS measurements are dealt with. GPS error modelling, computation of DOP (dilution of precision), and clock modelling are also discussed. In this section the navigation solution for various classes of users – stationary, low-dynamics, medium-dynamics and high-dynamics – are discussed. The INS model and the clock model defined in this chapter are used in configuring the integrated system model later. Chapter four discusses the various HNS configurations and their implementation to mitigate the INS error. Three levels of integration are considered: a. Output coupled: The INS needs initial alignment during which the INS position and velocity are initialised with the precisely known co-ordinates and components at the starting location. Starting with these initial conditions, the INS-sensed accelerations are continuously integrated to yield the current velocity and position. As mentioned earlier, the INS error is dependent on this initial value and further increases with time. If the initial position and velocity inputs are precise, the short-term INS accuracy (typically for the first 10-15 minutes in case of aircraft) is usually within acceptable limits. Further error built up during longer flights can be reduced by periodic updation of INS with the precise position and/or velocity values. To achieve this the pilot may, for example, fly over waypoints whose co-ordinates are precisely known. This would constitute a physical or manual method of INS re-initialisation. A better and more modern method is to use precise GPS-derived information to reinitialise the INS periodically and automatically. b. Medium coupled: Another way of mitigating the INS error build-up is by using medium-coupled HNS wherein the INS errors are estimated using the GPS measurements as reference. The INS outputs are corrected by applying these error estimates. The important point to note here is that in medium coupling, the errors in the INS states are considered instead of the states themselves. The final geodetic outputs from the two systems are used as measurements. A twelve-state indirect feed-forward Kalman filter is used to estimate the INS position error. c. Tightly coupled: The basic measurements from the GPS are pseudoranges which are the distances from the user to the GPS satellites. By making a minimum of four such measurements the GPS receiver computes the user location in the geodetic coordinates. Conversely, knowing the user position from INS, it is possible to calculate the expected pseudoranges to known GPS satellite locations. Comparing the measured and the computed pseudoranges, the filter estimates the errors in the INS position. In this work a seventeen-state, feed-forward, indirect Kalman filter is configured to estimate the INS-derived pseudorange errors. These errors are then translated into positional errors which are used to correct the indicated INS positions. In configuring the filter it is assumed that the INS and GPS are physically separated and data transfer is through the interface buses. In this chapter the simulators used for validation and performance estimation of the configurations are also described. Two simulators are used to validate the hybrid system, namely, software-and hardware-based simulators. The simulators simulate the six-degree-of-freedom of trajectory generator, and error models of INS and GPS. The truth data from the trajectory generator are combined with the INS error and GPS error to get the INS and GPS outputs respectively. The fifth and sixth chapters covers the validation of the above-mentioned three configurations. Since analysis of output coupled systems is rather straightforward, simulation and validation of the configuration are carried out for the medium and tightly coupled systems Covariance analysis and Error analysis modes of simulation are carried out to study and validate the behaviour of the configurations. In covariance analysis one obtains the root mean square (rms) value of the errors obtained from several Monte Carlo runs. It gives an estimate of the lower bound of the system errors. Covariance simulation provides a degree of confidence in the error model but is generally not sufficient to expose the complete behaviour of the system. For detailed investigation, error simulation needs to be carried out for the entire navigation system. In the thesis, covariance simulation is carried out for both the configurations to check the sensitivity of the system to measurement update rates, process noise, update times for the transition matrix, and also for the validity of the truncation of the Taylor series expansion. The details of the simulation processes and their results are discussed in these chapter. The seventh chapter makes a performance comparison of the configurations and draws inferences for practical hybrid system implementation. From the comparisons it is seen that the loosely coupled configuration is the simplest. In this configuration there is no requirement of the Kalman filter. The accuracy depends on the update rate. If the position update is made, for example, once every 600 s then the error in the combined system will be limited to the sum of the error due to the GPS and that accumulated in the INS alone over the of 600 s interval. There is no coordinate transformation required. In the case of medium coupled filter the addition of process noise to the GPS clock model is not critical. The position accuracy achieved is around 2 m (rms). The coordinate transformations are only from the body to platform, and platform to geodetic axes. The observation matrix is very simple in this case and the computation burden is low. Dynamic tuning of the measurement matrix is not required in real time.In the case of tightly coupled configuration the addition of a certain amount of process noise deliberately to the GPS clock model is critical. The position accuracy achieved with tight coupling is around found to be 34 m (rms) without the addition of process noise. On addition of a controlled amount of noise to the GPS clock bias and clock drift states and inclusion of measurement noise as a function of GPS signal strength, the position accuracy improves significantly, to about 7m (rms). Figures 2a and 2b below depict the behaviour before and after inclusion of the noise. The coordinate transformations are from body to platform, platform to geodetic, and geodetic to ECEF coordinates, and vice versa. The observation matrix (H) for this integration model is very complicated, and the computational burden is very high. In this configuration H transfers the measurements from metres to radians. Dynamic tuning of measurement matrix is required in this case. Chapter eight of the thesis summarises the results and lists out the conclusions arrived at from the study. It also includes a section with suggestions for future work in this direction.

Ziel dieser Arbeit war die 3D-navigierte Transiliosakralverschraubung in einer experimentellen Studie an Plastik- und Spenderbecken sowie in einer prospektiven klinischen Studie mit einer retrospektiven Kontrollgruppe auf die Praktikabilität und proklamierten Vorteile zu überprüfen. Die Ergebnisse der experimentellen Testung unter Idealbedingungen konnten nicht vollständig in der klinischen Anwendung reproduziert werden. Die 3D-gestützte Navigation ermöglicht im Vergleich zur 2D-gestützten Navigation und der konventionellen Bildwandlertechnik nach Matta und Saucedo eine hohe Genauigkeit. Jedoch führt eine Schraubenfehllage häufiger zu einem neurologischen Defizit. Die Strahlenbelastung ähnelt den Verfahren der Kontrollgruppe; darüber hinaus konnten die OP-Zeiten bei der Patientenversorgung unterschritten werden. Die 3D-Navigation bietet besonders aufgrund ihrer hohen Präzision deutliche Vorteile bei der Transiliosakralverschraubung, ist jedoch auch fehleranfällig und kann damit keine allumfas-sende Sicherheit bieten.

A Discrete Extended Kalman Filter has been designed to process measurements from a magnetometer, sun sensor, IMU, and GPS receiver to provide the relative position, velocity, attitude, and gyro bias of a chaser spacecraft relative to a target spacecraft. An Extended Kalman Filter with Uncompensated Bias has also been developed for the implementation of well known biases and errors that are not directly observable. A detailed explanation of the algorithms, models, and derivations that go into both filters is presented. With this simulation and specific sensor selection the position of the chaser spacecraft relative to the target can be estimated to within about 5 m, the velocity to within .1 m/s, and the attitude to within 2 degrees for both filters. If a thrust is applied to the IMU measurements, it takes about 1.5 minutes to get a good position estimate, using the Extended Kalman Filter with Uncompensated Bias. The error settles almost immediately using the general Extended Kalman Filter. These filters have been designed for and can be implemented on almost any small, low cost, low power satellite with this inexpensive set of sensors. / text

In the study of navigation, frequently it is assumed that navigation is accomplished using either an allocentric strategy based on a cognitive map, or an egocentric strategy based on stimulus response associations. Further, it is frequently assumed that individual navigators, or even entire genders, are only capable of navigating by one strategy or the other. The present study investigated whether individuals or genders were limited to a particular navigational strategy and whether both strategies might be learned or used at the same time. In the present study, undergraduate students were tested in a virtual Morris water maze that was modified to allow successful and efficient navigation using either an allocentric or an egocentric strategy. Learning trials on which the participants had to learn the location of the platform were alternated with probe trials on which participants would show which strategy they were using. At the end of testing, participants were given a series of tests to determine what knowledge they had acquired and which strategies they were capable of using. Results indicated that: a) most people preferred to navigate egocentrically in this maze, but some preferred to navigate allocentrically, b) people tended to use an egocentrically strategy first, but it was not a necessary step to learning to navigate allocentrically, c) people were better at their preferred strategy, d) people learned information about their non-preferred strategy, and e) those who preferred to navigate egocentrically could nevertheless learn to navigate allocentrically. Surprisingly, all of these results were true for both men and women, although women tended to prefer egocentric navigation at a higher rate than men, and men outperformed women when forced to navigate allocentrically. These results suggest it may be too simple to think of navigators as being capable of only a single navigational strategy or of learning only one strategy at a time. / Graduate

Existing pedestrian navigation systems are mainly visual-based, sometimes with an addition of audio guidance. However, previous research has reported that visual-based navigation systems require a high level of cognitive efforts, contributing to errors and delays. Furthermore, in many situations a person’s visual and auditory channels may be compromised due to environmental factors or may be occupied by other important tasks. Some research has suggested that the tactile sense can effectively be used for interfaces to support navigation tasks. However, many fundamental design and usability issues with pedestrian tactile navigation displays are yet to be investigated. This dissertation investigates human-computer interaction aspects associated with the design of tactile pedestrian navigation systems. More specifically, it addresses the following questions: What may be appropriate forms of wearable devices? What types of spatial information should such systems provide to pedestrians? How do people use spatial information for different navigation purposes? How can we effectively represent such information via tactile stimuli? And how do tactile navigation systems perform? A series of empirical studies was carried out to (1) investigate the effects of tactile signal properties and manipulation on the human perception of spatial data, (2) find out the effective form of wearable displays for navigation tasks, and (3) explore a number of potential tactile representation techniques for spatial data, specifically representing directions and landmarks. Questionnaires and interviews were used to gather information on the use of landmarks amongst people navigating urban environments for different purposes. Analysis of the results of these studies provided implications for the design of tactile pedestrian navigation systems, which we incorporated in a prototype. Finally, field trials were carried out to evaluate the design and address usability issues and performance-related benefits and challenges. The thesis develops an understanding of how to represent spatial information via the tactile channel and provides suggestions for the design and implementation of tactile pedestrian navigation systems. In addition, the thesis classifies the use of various types of landmarks for different navigation purposes. These contributions are developed throughout the thesis building upon an integrated series of empirical studies.

This Thesis covers the development of an alternative Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) augmentation technology that has become known as the Ground-based Regional Augmentation System (GRAS). GNSS augmentation technologies in support of aviation have largely been developed by countries with large economies such as the USA and members of the European Union. These technologies have focussed on solutions to the specific problems of the host nations, based on the demographics, political and economic factors relevant to them. Outside these countries, the role of GNSS augmentation has largely been ignored, specifically when considering wide area augmentation utilising Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS). SBAS technologies are expensive, and cannot be justified for nations like Australia with a relatively small number of aircraft, operated in a focussed geographic area. Utilising SBAS services provided by another country introduces cultural, legal and institutional issues that are not always easily addressed. GRAS was derived to provide a cost-effective wide area augmentation capability to nations that lacked the economic ability to field SBAS technologies. This work covers the evolution of the GRAS concept, the construction and testing of the GRAS test bed and its associated test avionics, as well as the development of standards needed to support GRAS as an internationally accepted aviation standard. The major outcome from this work was the confirmation that GRAS could meet the Required Navigation Performance (RNP) standards for Approaches with Vertical Guidance Level 2 (APV-II) as well as all less demanding modes of flight. Results from numerous ground and flight tests conducted under this research program have been reviewed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) GNSS Panel (GNSSP), and been instrumental in the development and validation of Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) which promulgate how ICAO standardised systems should perform. The final component of this work describes the project management and technology approval processes needed to get an internationally standardised system into operational use, and the particular problems that a small country like Australia has in progressing these tasks on the World stage.

<p>This thesis aims the problem of underwater vehicle positioning. The vehicle usedwas a Saab Seaeye Falcon which was equipped with a Doppler Velocity Log(DVL)manufactured by RD Instruments and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) fromXsense. During the work several different Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) havebeen tested both with a hydrodynamic model of the vehicle and a model withconstant acceleration and constant angular velocity. The filters were tested withdata from test runs in lake Vättern. The EKF with constant acceleration andconstant angular velocity appeared to be the better one. The misalignment of thesensors were also tried to be estimated but with poor result.</p>

A method is proposed to fuse the information from two navigation systems whose relative position is unknown, but where there exists an upper limit on how far apart the two systems can be. The proposed information fusion method is applied to a scenario in which a pedestrian is equipped with two foot-mounted zero-velocity-aided inertial navigation systems; one system on each foot. The performance of the method is studied using experimental data. The results show that the method has the capability to significantly improve the navigation performance when compared to using two uncoupled foot-mounted systems. / <p>QC 20121221</p>

Mit Hilfe eines kommerziellen, am Universitätsklinikum Leipzig vorhandenen Navigationssystems (Localite) ist es möglich, Interventionen in einer herkömmlichen MRTUmgebung unter Echtzeitnavigation durchzuführen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Genauigkeit, Benutzerfreundlichkeit sowie der Zeitaufwand für perkutane Punktionen mit diesem System untersucht. Zur Navigation wird das jeweilige Instrument optisch verfolgt. Die automatische Patientenregistrierung außerhalb des MR-Tunnels erfolgt über eine einmalige 3DLokalisation spezieller MR-Marker. 24 Operateure mit unterschiedlicher radiologischer Erfahrung führten insgesamt 240 unterschiedlich schwere Punktionen an einem selbst entwickelten Phantom durch. Nach diesen Versuchen füllten die Operateure einen Fragebogen zur Handhabbarkeit des Systems aus. Zudem wurden 24 klinische perkutane Interventionen in nicht atemverschieblichen Körperregionen ausgewertet. Für alle Biopsien wurden Zeiten für charakteristische Arbeitsschritte dokumentiert. Die Treffergenauigkeit war im Phantomexperiment für alle Gruppen relativ hoch (Fachärzte: 93%, Assistenzärzte: 88%, Studenten 81%; Cochran p=0,104). Die dazugehörigen durchschnittlichen Zeiten für einen Biopsiezyklus lagen, gemessen in Minuten, bei 4:13 (FÄ), 4:42 (AÄ) und 5:06 (MS) (P<0,001). Die subjektiven Bewertungen des Navigationssystems an Hand der Aussagen (Items) des Fragebogens zeigten keine Abhängigkeit vom Erfahrungsgrad des Operateurs. Die diagnostische Genauigkeit der klinischen Interventionen lag bei 92%. Die mittlere Interventionszeit betrug dabei 18 min. Das Navigationssystem wurde erfolgreich für Interventionen in verschiedenen Körperregionen eingesetzt. Die Genauigkeit und die benötigten Eingriffszeiten sind mit anderen in der Literatur beschriebenen MRT-geführten Interventionen vergleichbar. Auch unerfahrene Operateure konnten das Navigationssystem relativ schnell und sicher anwenden.