HYBRID APPROACHES TO ORTHOGRONAL LOCALIZATION AND ORIENTATION SYSTEMS

AN ORTHOGONAL LOCALIZATION AND ORIENTATION SYSTEMS (OLOS) THAT UTILIZE A COMBINATION OF MAGNETIC, GRAVITATIONAL AND ACOUSTIC SENSORS WILL BE INVESTIGATED. CURRENTLY, THE BEST APPROACH SEEMS TO BE A COMBINATION OF MAGNETICS TO PROVIDE HORIZONTAL DIRECTION, GRAVITY TO PROVIDE TILT, AND ACOUSTICS TO PROVIDE POSITION. POSITION ACCURACY SHOULD BE < 1 ARC MINUTE, AND RESPONSE TIME < 20 MSEC. OTHER APPROACHES WILL BE CONSIDERED THROUGH AN EXTENSIVE SEARCH AND REVIEW OF AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGIES. FEASIBILITY OF THE FAVORED APPROACH HAS BEEN DEMONSTRATED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA USING ADAPTED COMPONENTS. DURING PHASE I A DESIGN USING STANDARD COMPONENTS WILL BE DEVELOPED. THIS DESIGN WILL BE ENGINEERED FOR PRODUCTION DURING PHASE II. MICRON/GREEN INCORPORATED OF GAINESVILLE, FL WILL BE ABLE TO MARKET RESULTING PRODUCTS DURING PHASE III AS THE OLOS FITS NATURALLY INTO ITS PRODUCT LINE. ANTICIPATED BENEFITS/POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS - THE PROPOSED APPROACH WILL PROVIDE A COMPACT, EASY TO SET UP ORIENTATION AND LOCALIZATION SYSTEM WHOSE BENEFITS OVER EXISTING SYSTEMS INCLUDE: IMPROVED ACCURACY, LONGER WORKING RANGE, AND ABILITY TO OPERATE MULTIPLE SYSTEMS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY.