Tightly-Coupled Image-Aided Inertial Navigation System via a Kalman Filter

<p>Inertial navigation systems and GPS systems have revolutionized the world of navigation. Inertial systems are incapable of being jammed and are the backbone of most navigation systems. GPS is highly accurate over long periods of time and it is an excellent aid to inertial navigation systems. However as a military force we must be prepared to deal with the denial of the GPS signal. This thesis seeks to determine if via simulation it is viable to aid an INS with visual measurements. Visual measurements represent a source of data that is essentially incapable of being jammed and as such they could be highly valuable for improving navigation accuracy in a military environment. The simulated visual measurements are two angles formed from the aircraft with respect to a target on the ground. Only one target is incorporated into this research. Five different measurement combinations were incorporated into a Kalman filter and compared to each other over a six-minute circular navigation orbit.</p><p>This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore you will see the original copyright references library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world) and other notations in the work.</p><p>This work is in the public domain in the United States of America and possibly other nations. Within the United States you may freely copy and distribute this work as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.</p><p>As a reproduction of a historical artifact this work may contain missing or blurred pages poor pictures errant marks etc. Scholars believe and we concur that this work is important enough to be preserved reproduced and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.</p><br>