Third Generation Gimbaled Platform and the Effect of Synchronization on Target Geolocation Acquisition

Abstract

A three degrees of freedom Hardware In the Loop Simulator was designed and built. This HILS system was built using modular parts to simplify future modification. All parts of this system were printed using a 3 dimensional printer and a laser cutting system. Also, slip rings were used to allow the platform unrestricted motion in pitch roll and yaw angles. This HILS system was used to calculate the latency in autopilot's IMU data. The delay in IMU was measured against the CPU clock and was found to be 20ms. To synchronize GPS, the entire autopilot system was driven alongside targets of known GPS coordinates. Both Video and GPS streams were then synchronized relative to CPU clock. Large errors in GPS data were observed. GPS latency was found to vary greatly between different runs. This was attributed to GPS drift and could be minimized by using a better quality GPS system. Overall, being able to synchronize GPS, IMU and Video streams is expected to greatly reduce errors in target geolocation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 16, 2010
Accession Number
ADA521965

Entities

People

  • Kamal S. Ali

Organizations

  • Jackson State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Autonomy

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Accuracy
  • Acquisition
  • Agreements
  • Aircrafts
  • Computer Science
  • Engineering
  • Flight Simulators
  • Geolocation
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Inertial Measurement Units
  • Measurement
  • Micro Air Vehicles
  • Simulators
  • Students
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Video

Readers

  • Computer Networking
  • Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) Technology.
  • Robotics and Automation.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Space
  • Space - Spacecraft Maneuvers