A Common Test Interface for the Testing of Integrated GPS/INS

Steven L. Saks and Allen J. Snowball

Abstract:	The need to develop cost effective modern test tools to exercise the new generation of highly integrated navigation equipment has been recognised for a number of years. This was the subject of our paper presented to the 52nd Annual Meeting’. May and Mullen in their paper presented to the 5 1” Annual Meeting described the utility of testing an Integrated INYGPS (IGI) using SIGNaL2, and presented results from testing a Honeywell H764G gathered during the DOD’S Embedded GPS/Inertial (EGI) test program. However, SIGNaL required interface modification and re-verification to enable it to test the two variants each from both Litton and Honeywell procured under the EGI program. Additionally, SIGNaL is not directly transportable to other government or commercial test laboratories. Therefore, the authors believe there is a need for an Open System Architecture (OSA) to define a common test interface between all categories of IGIs and GPS Satellite Simulators with an Inertial Measurement Unit model (ssIIMus). This OSA will enable the independent procurement of SWIMUs capable of testing any OSA compliant IGIs. Furthermore, any OSA compliant IGI and SS/IMU integrated entity will only require a single validation effort. The authors believe that there will be zero to minimal recurring engineering effort when procuring IGIs already validated as OSA compliant. The paper concludes by suggesting a suitable validation scheme for the integrated entity. The UK MOD has proposed to NATO that such an OSA is a suitable subject for a standardisation agreement.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997) June 30 - 2, 1997 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	649 - 657
Cite this article:	Saks, Steven L., Snowball, Allen J., "A Common Test Interface for the Testing of Integrated GPS/INS," Proceedings of the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1997), Albuquerque, NM, June 1997, pp. 649-657.
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