Horizontal Precision Enhancement System

To address the Army need for Global Positioning System Precise Positioning Service receiver improvements for ground users to improve their positioning precision in urban areas, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop new Horizontal Precision Enhancement (HOPE) technology. This proposed system is based on self-contained navigation combined with multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) prediction. The innovation in combining a compact and lightweight (<8 cub. in, <8 oz) navigation sensor module with MHT dynamic process prediction enables the HOPE to achieve <2 m, 95%, horizontal positioning performance in all environments, including urban areas and within enclosed spaces, such as buildings and caves. The optical self-mixing interferometer-based navigation sensor tracks horizontal position through precise measurement (>95% accuracy) of three-dimensional velocity components. In Phase I POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the HOPE system by measuring horizontal position tracking inside a building with commercial off-the-shelf components. In Phase II we plan to develop a fully operational HOPE system, including an on-board signal processing and wireless communication link, that can be readily integrated into virtually any ground-based military platforms.