Sole Means Navigation in the DOD Standard Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver

Verlyn D. Moen, Luong B. Tran and Redge G. Barthqlomew

Abstract:	This paper presents the RNAV and flight plan editing capa- bilities of the DOD standard Miniatmized Airborne GPS Re- ceiver (MAGR)produced by the Collins Avionics and Com- munications Division, Rockwell International It describes capabilities - lateral and vertical navigation, flight plan construction and editing aud sequencing, waypoint data base loading, rendezvous operation, andtlight mode control and mode+iependent data scaling (for flight instruments): what functions are available, how they operate at a user in- terface level what data is required, what data is produced Also, it identifies the DOD’S Minimum Avionics Require- ments (MAR) for GPS Sole Means of Navigation, and shows that the MAGR &sties all current requirements, and all but one of the potential requirements. The purpose is to show that the DOD smndardMAGR, coupled with adisplay device, is a GPS avionics sole meaus navigation system. Having accurate position, velocity, and time from a GPS re- ceiver when fIying in the national airspace is of limited util- ity except insofar as it allows accurate navigation from one point to another - along an arbitraty great circle, or along a designated, FAA defined radial For this relative navigation (i.e. with respect to a desired cotuse), some kind of RNAV facilityisrequired. Whereonlyahandfulofwaypointsisin- valved iu uncontrolled airspace, this facility cau be casual; where the issue is the emulation of TACAN in the national airspace,itisliabletobemorerigorous. Duringcriticalperi- ods (e.g. on approach) it must be able to switch zapidly and automatically kom waypoint to waypoint as eachis passed andupdatedatadisplaysand~~instnunentswithoutpilot intervention; sothatthe aircmftremains as close as possible to the center of the assigned radial, whiie requiring a mini- mum of pilot attention to the mechanics of sensor control and data display. A waypoint data base including single waypoints as well as flight profiles (ordered lists of way- points -e.g. SID, STAR) should be available, along with the capabilitytodownloaditfromadata~fermoduleorotb- erstoragedevice,eliminatingreal-timewaypoint&finition as a pilot burden To avoid loss or corruption, this data base should be uneditable aud should sunrive power loss. The definition and editing of a Eight plan should be available throughboth single waypoint inseition as well as profile in- sertion; and sequencing through the flight plan (as way- points are passed) should be alternatively automatic or manual The desired vertical and lateral paths to the active waypoint should be determined and stored, defining the cur- rent leg of the flight plan; and data should be made available relating the aimaft’s current position and velocity both to thedesiredpathaswellastothedestination’sposition: bear- ing, range, and time to destiuation, cross-track error, verti- cal error, along track disnmce, the TO-FROM line, tum- points, aud so on The DOD’S MAGR performs these fUUCtiOIlS. The DOD’S Minimum Avionics Requirements for GPS Sole Means Navigation (September 1991) establishes the re- quirements - both functional aud performance - for GPS basednavigationsystemsthatwouldbensedinthenational airspace as a sole means of navigation. It covers waypoint storage and sequencing, course selection methods, flight instrument interfaces and displays, and flight progress data displays. Tbm antkipatio~ station anuunciation are pm- scri~andsystem acauacies are identified. By federal mandate (the Federal Radionavigation Plan) GPS is to re- placeTACAN-itistobeusedasasolenavigationalaidfor the enroute, termid, and non-pm&ion approach phases of f3ighuauditsuseistobekauspamnttotheexistingairtral5c control system -it must emulate TACAN procedures. The MAR specifies the requimnents for such systems. lko ap- proaches cau be taken the GPS position, velocity, and time datacanbeasedbysomeotherdeviceto&~~~rela- tivenavigationdataandperformtheRNAVfunctions; orthe GPS receiver can include the capability. It is the contention ofthispaperthataUstatedmquirementsoftheMARfor fuuctional and peifmance capability are satisfied by the DoD's MAGR; and that with the inclusion of a simple con- trol and display unit of no great pretension - having no mass storage capability nor navigational capability - the DoD's MAGR is a sole means navigation system.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992) September 16 - 18, 1992 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	275 - 281
Cite this article:	Moen, Verlyn D., Tran, Luong B., Barthqlomew, Redge G., "Sole Means Navigation in the DOD Standard Miniaturized Airborne GPS Receiver," Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992), Albuquerque, NM, September 1992, pp. 275-281.
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