Geometry-Of-Fire Tracking Algorithm for Direct-Fire Weapon Systems

The continuous cycle for validating geometry of fires on a battlefield impedes momentum. A force that can decide and act quicker than the enemy has an advantage. The goal of this thesis is to provide dismounted infantry units with this advantage by developing a sensor network that streamlines the geometry-of-fire validation cycle for direct-fire weapon systems. This is the first attempt to develop technology for this specific application. Prototyping the systems overall design became this thesis main objective. A kinematic model of a rifleman was created to describe the motion of a manipulated weapon system, and a geometry-of-fire tracking algorithm was created to compute the offsets between friendly nodes in a network. The kinematic model and tracking algorithm were both verified using YEI 3-Space Data-Logging sensors and the VICON motion system. The sensor, model, and algorithm were integrated into a tactical network that was designed by concurrent research at the Naval Postgraduate School. Assuming an inertial personal navigation system can be created, we found that this basic prototype provided a viable foundation for further development. The results of this thesis demonstrate the potential for this technology to be fully developed and implemented to enhance dismounted infantry units.