Mar 17, 2026

US12578193 - Multi-IMU guidance measurement and control system with handshake capability to refine guidance control in response to changing conditions

Presented herein are systems and methods using inertial measurement units (IMUs) for providing location and guidance, and more particularly for providing location and guidance in environments where global position systems (GPS) are unavailable or unreliable (GPS denied and/or degraded environments), and for such location and guidance being provided to projectiles, munitions, or rounds that are released, fired, or deployed from vehicles or weapons systems. More particularly, this disclosure relates to the use of a series of low-accuracy or low-resolution IMUs, in combination, to provide high-accuracy or high-resolution location and guidance results. This further relates to an electronics-control system for handing off control of the measurement and guidance of a body in flight between groups or subgroups of IMUs to alternate between high dynamic range/lower resolution and lower dynamic range/higher resolution measurement and guidance as the environment dictates.

Assignee: Orbital Research Inc.
Inventors: Michael Jankowski, Edward J. Rapp
Filing date: 2023-05-22

guidanceprojectilesmunitionsmilitary

This patent describes a guidance measurement and control system for projectiles or vehicles that utilizes multiple inertial measurement units (IMUs) to enhance location accuracy in environments where GPS is unreliable. The system features an electronics board with a processor that synchronizes IMU signals, corrects biases, and adjusts the projectile’s course based on real-time conditions.

Claim 1

1 . A projectile or vehicle with a guidance measurement and control system comprising: at least one electronics board mounted interiorly to the projectile or vehicle body, the electronics board comprising an upper surface, a lower surface and a plurality of inertial measurement units (IMUs) mounted on at least one of the surfaces, each IMU having a signal and comprising at least one three-axis accelerometer and/or at least one three-axis gyroscope, the IMUs adapted to be interconnected at least via firmware; at least one processor adapted to receive the signal from each IMU; a guidance algorithm comprised in the processor, the guidance algorithm adapted to: 1. Synchronize the signals from each of the IMUs, 2. Calculate a bias and a drift in the signal of each IMU, 3. Correct the sensor signals, or apply a correction factor to the sensor signals, based on the calculated bias and drift, and 4. Provide a guidance metric representative of an absolute or relative location of the projectile or vehicle based on the signals and/or corrected signals of each of the IMUs; a handshake algorithm comprised in the processor, the handshake algorithm adapted to select one or more of the plurality of IMUs based on the projectile’s or vehicles spin rate or acceleration; and an actuator adapted to adjust a control system to adjust a course of the projectile or vehicle based at least in part on the guidance metric. at least one electronics board mounted interiorly to the projectile or vehicle body, the electronics board comprising an upper surface, a lower surface and a plurality of inertial measurement units (IMUs) mounted on at least one of the surfaces, each IMU having a signal and comprising at least one three-axis accelerometer and/or at least one three-axis gyroscope, the IMUs adapted to be interconnected at least via firmware; at least one processor adapted to receive the signal from each IMU; a guidance algorithm comprised in the processor, the guidance algorithm adapted to: 1. Synchronize the signals from each of the IMUs, 2. Calculate a bias and a drift in the signal of each IMU, 3. Correct the sensor signals, or apply a correction factor to the sensor signals, based on the calculated bias and drift, and 4. Provide a guidance metric representative of an absolute or relative location of the projectile or vehicle based on the signals and/or corrected signals of each of the IMUs; 1. Synchronize the signals from each of the IMUs, 2. Calculate a bias and a drift in the signal of each IMU, 3. Correct the sensor signals, or apply a correction factor to the sensor signals, based on the calculated bias and drift, and 4. Provide a guidance metric representative of an absolute or relative location of the projectile or vehicle based on the signals and/or corrected signals of each of the IMUs; a handshake algorithm comprised in the processor, the handshake algorithm adapted to select one or more of the plurality of IMUs based on the projectile’s or vehicles spin rate or acceleration; and an actuator adapted to adjust a control system to adjust a course of the projectile or vehicle based at least in part on the guidance metric.

Google Patents

https://patents.google.com/patent/US12578193

USPTO PDF

https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/12578193