Failure Modes and Models for Integrated GPS/INS Systems

Abstract

GPS is the most widely used global navigation satellite system. By design, there is no provision for real time integrity information within the Standard Positioning Service (SPS). However, in safety critical sectors like aviation, stringent integrity performance requirements must be met. This can be achieved externally or at the receiver level through receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM). The latter is a cost effective method that relies on data consistency, and therefore requires redundant measurements. An external aid to provide this redundancy can be in the form of an Inertial Navigation System (INS). This should enable continued performance even during RAIM holes (when no redundant satellite measurements are available). However, due to the inclusion of an additional system and the coupling mechanism, integrity issues become more challenging. To develop an effective integrity monitoring capability, a good understanding of the potential failure modes of the integrated system is vital. In this paper potential failure modes of integrated GPS/INS systems are identified. This is followed by the specification of corresponding models that would be required to investigate the capability of existing integrity algorithms and to develop enhancements or new algorithms.