SBIR-STTR Award

Magnetic navigation using measurements of the Earth's crustal magnetic field variation is a promising new approach for use by aircraft flying in a GPS-denied environment. The magnetic signature of the crust cannot be masked or jammed. We propose to develop a magnetic field reference sensor ideally suited for magnetic navigation: it must measure the total magnetic field with high sensitivity and accuracy in all orientations. All commercial total field magnetometers have a dead axis or a dead plane. A second goal is to develop a low-cost and easily manufacturable sensor package. In Phase I we propose to build and demonstrate the core sensor performance in preparation for further development in Phase II. At the end of a Phase II program we plan to have rugged and reliable prototype sensors available for testing and use.

Navigation of aircraft using the crustal magnetic field variation of the earth is a novel and developing technique for use in GPS-denied environments. Location estimation is accomplished by matching the magnetic field measurements in flight to a specific track on a magnetic map of the globe. Atomic scalar magnetometers are ideally suited for use on aircraft because they are not sensitive to aircraft motion; they measure the total field instead of the vector projections. Quantum magnetometers employing alkali metals are also far more accurate than solid state devices such as fluxgates, nitrogen vacancy diamond, and magnetoresistive sensors. That accuracy can be used to improve the time to acquire a unique location and reduce the location uncertainty. This project develops the ideal sensor for magnetic navigation by combining a novel physical operating technique with rugged wafer-scale packaging. Crucially, the new sensor design operates well at all flight headings whereas previous sensors do not work when pointing in certain directions. The magnetometer will also target a small 1 cc size, making it easy to implement on platforms of all sizes.