by
Mark Ollig
Global
Positioning System (GPS) earth-orbiting satellite technology, for guiding US
military payloads, began in the 1970s.
During
the 1960s, US Navy ships used related technology for obtaining hourly fixes on
their positions.
The
technology used for the GPS had its early beginnings during the 1950s.
The
Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) began under the Eisenhower
administration in 1958, and was instrumental in the creation of a new computing
network originally called: ARPAnet.
Today,
ARPAnet is known to all of us as the Internet.
In
1972, ARPA was renamed DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).
Our
good friends at DARPA say they are working every day “creating new technological
solutions and transitioning them into practice.”
As
the military’s use of GPS technology for navigation and precise guidance of
weaponry grew, so did the enemies’ attempts at blocking data being sent from
the GPS.
In
the last few years, reports of GPS signal jamming using equipment which
generates radio frequency waves or signal noise to act as interference have
increased.
Signal
noise can trick a GPS receiver into believing a GPS satellite is not available.
It
is a violation of federal law to operate, market, or sell any type of jamming
equipment (including GPS signal jamming).
Situations
have been encountered by the US Department of Defense, whereby, GPS data has
been intentionally blocked using high-powered signal jammers.
Besides
the intentional jamming, there are times when the GPS signal can be lost, such
as when a device using GPS is inside a heavily walled area of a building,
underwater, or underground.
In
2012, DARPA was working on a more reliable replacement technology to guide the
military’s missiles, armaments, smart weapons, drones, and other payload
packages without GPS.
DARPA
hopes to build a single 3D architecturally-structured computing chip; able to
complete all the functions accomplished by today’s earth-orbiting GPS
satellites.
The
program for replacing dependency on GPS is called Chip-Scale Combinatorial
Atomic Navigator, or C-SCAN.
The
advanced computing chip, to be used for navigation, will contain atomic and
solid-state inertial sensors.
It
will become a part of DARPA’s Microtechnology for Positioning, Navigation and
Timing (Micro-PNT) program.
This
program is to design computing sensor technology, allowing devices so equipped
to have GPS-like capabilities, and operate where a GPS signal sometimes does
not reach.
Because
of recent breakthroughs in microfabrication and miniaturization techniques, a
single computing chip package can contain the needed sensors, gyroscopes,
accelerometers, magnetometers, and atomic clocks, inside one self-contained
Micro-PNT sensor.
The
physical size of the newly designed Micro-PNT sensor is small.
Its
8-10 cubic millimeter size consists of a dome-shaped “bubble” made from silica,
and contains a “rate integrating gyroscope.”
This
bubble appears to be nested inside a high-quality, military-grade hardened
plastic.
An
array of small, combined antennas radiate from the bubble.
I
uploaded a futuristic-looking photo of what DARPA thinks a C-SCAN Micro-PNT
chip package may end up looking like: http://tinyurl.com/bytes-pnt.
A
few weeks ago, Northrup Grumman was awarded the contract from DARPA for
developing the miniaturized navigation grade inertial system part of the C-SCAN
program.
“This
microsystem has the potential to significantly reduce the size, weight, power
requirement and cost of precision navigation systems,” said Charles Volk, vice
president, Advanced Navigation Systems, at Northrop Grumman.
The
microsystem will be using newly developed micro-technology, including
self-contained, chip-scale sized, inertial navigation and precision guidance.
The
Micro-PNT technology will be advanced enough “for applications such as
personnel tracking, handheld navigation, small diameter munitions, and small
airborne platforms,” according to Dr. Andrei M. Shkel, DARPA program manager.
Continually
knowing where on the planet a device is located, without having to rely on GPS
satellites, or maintaining a “line-of-sight” with a communication satellite, is
the ultimate goal of this new high-dynamic range, low-power consumption chip.
One
of DARPA’s visions, seen during a presentation (approved for public release) by
Dr. Shkel, is to have these devices use self-contained, active guidance
systems, for defining munitions orientation to their target without GPS
reliance, during military missile engagements.
This
is not a small technological task, to say the least.
Another
description from Dr. Shkel’s presentation says the Micro-PNT uses “inertia of
elastic waves, self-calibration/cross-calibration algorithms, and 3D
fabrication.”
The
price per Micro-PNT chip package may range from approximately $50,000 to
$100,000.
Over
the years, we have come to see new technology used in the military, eventually
being introduced into civilian life; such as in 2000, when the public was
allowed to begin using GPS technology.
Someday,
instead of using a GPS, we may be navigating using a Micro-PNT sensor, built
directly into our smartphones and other devices.
Roger
L. Easton, who is given credit for designing and inventing GPS satellite
technology, passed away May 8 of this year.
The
official US Global Positioning System government website is:
http://www.gps.gov.
