Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions (PRIGM)
Abstract
The DoD relies on GPS for ubiquitous and accurate positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT). With the increased prevalence of intentional GPS jamming, spoofing, and other GPS-denial threats, GPS access is increasingly unavailable in contested theaters and alternative sources of PNT are required. In particular, guided munitions navigation is the most immediate and among the most demanding of GPS-denial challenges, due to the necessity of operating in highly contested theaters and the stringent requirements for minimization of cost, size, weight, and power consumption (CSWaP). The Precise Robust Inertial Guidance for Munitions (PRIGM) program will develop low-CSWaP inertial sensor technology for GPS-free munitions navigation. PRIGM comprises two focus areas: 1) Development of a Navigation-Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (NGIMU) that transitions state-of-the-art MEMS to DoD platforms by 2020; and 2) Research and development of Advanced Inertial MEMS Sensors (AIMS) to achieve gun-hard, high-bandwidth, high dynamic range navigation requirements with the objective of complete autonomy in 2030. PRIGM will advance state-of-the-art MEMS gyros from TRL-3 devices to a TRL-6 transition platform (complete IMU) that enables Service Labs to perform TRL-7 field demonstrations. PRIGM will exploit recent advances in heterogeneous integration of photonics and CMOS and advanced MEMS technology to realize novel inertial sensors for application in extreme dynamic environments and beyond navigation-grade performance. Future warfighting scenarios will take place in a GPS-denied world. High-dynamics navigation applications, such as smart munitions, require low-CSWaP inertial sensors demonstrating high bandwidth, high precision, and high shock tolerance. Conventional MEMS inertial sensors rely on capacitive sensing to measure position, which suffer from perturbations due to asymmetry, temperature sensitivity, parasitic capacitances, and squeeze film damping of gas in narrow gaps. Various methods have been proposed to overcome challenges with capacitive readout. One solution is optical sensing, which has demonstrated high sensitivity, low noise position sensing and potential to reject external vibrations. Recent advances in heterogeneous integration, on-chip optical waveguides, and quantum-assisted sensing and readout of MEMS/NEMS have resulted in new capabilities to enable candidate technologies for PRIGM. The candidate technologies include optically interrogated MEMS gyroscopes and accelerometers, waveguide optical gyroscopes, and rate-integrating MEMS gyroscopes. Basic research for this program is funded within PE 0601101E, Project ES-01 and advanced development for the program is budgeted in PE 0603739E, Project MT-15.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2017
- Source ID
- 676361fe8450e881549452a3b699f2e0
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