Integrated Navigation for Approach Guidance Using Differential GPS

Thomas Jacob and Manfred Dieraff

Abstract:	The introduction of the Global Positioning System provided a location finding system that will be very helpful for users in civil aviation. GPS-receivers, however, have accuracy problems in high precision flight guidance applications. In dynamic flight maneuvers they show not only operational problems due to satellite masking but also a reduction in accuracy in accelerated flight and turn flight. In the presented “Integrated System” those problems are solved by integrating GPS in differential mode with inertial measurment sensors into a hybrid system. This integrated system computes a high precise position, flight path and attitude information of a moving platform e.g. an aircraft. The error behaviour in stationary and in dynamic applications is explained. From the error behaviour a system concept of a hybrid Integrated Flight Guidance System is derived. The position information, estimated in real-time, is used for a flight guidance value generator. These informations are fed to a flight director instrument in the cockpit, which is used by the pilot for manual flight or is fed to an autopilot for automatic flight including automatic approach and touch down. The system fulfills extreme accuracy requirements and can be used in approach and landing up to ICAO. (International Civil Aviation Organization) CAT III. It allows to perform landings even under bad weather conditions. As the integrated system is space based, it computes a landing aid which allows landing at any airfield, not equipped with conventional Instrument Landing System or Microwave Landing System. Using the presented system, composed of the integrated system based on satellite navigation and a flight control system the worldwide first automatic landing was performed in June 1989 with the Dornier DO 28 research aircraft of the Technical University of Braunschweig.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 3rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1990) September 19 - 21, 1990 The Broadmoor Hotel Colorado Spring, CO
Pages:	631 - 636
Cite this article:	Jacob, Thomas, Dieraff, Manfred, "Integrated Navigation for Approach Guidance Using Differential GPS," Proceedings of the 3rd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1990), Colorado Spring, CO, September 1990, pp. 631-636.
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