TREX ENTERPRISES CORPORATION — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: A12-029

Description

Current technology for weapon azimuth measurements during training exercises is limited by excessive weight, size, cost, power consumption, limited IMU accuracy and the need for extensive calibration.A miniature lightweight azimuth sensing device is proposed based upon detection of the sky polarization pattern.The proposed device falls into the category of biomimicry as it imitates a solution found in nature: many animals and insects are known to use the sky polarization pattern for navigation.Phase-I results validated the proposed concept by imaging the angle-of-polarization pattern in the sky, both in clear sky and overcast conditions, and accurately determining azimuth.In the Phase-II effort we will build a miniature prototype using polarizer-on-pixel technology, develop the required real-time software, perform field tests and verify performance and azimuth measurement accuracy and develop a low-cost method of manufacture of the polarizer-on-pixel technology.Subsequently in the Phase-II effort we will design and build a low-cost miniature prototype, develop the required real-time embedded processing software, modify the device for automatic compensation of pitch and roll, and extensively field test the device in all manner of sky conditions to verify performance and azimuth measurement accuracy.