title: Signal processing of MEMS gyroscope arrays to improve accuracy using a 1st order Markov for rate signal modeling.
abstract: This paper presents a signal processing technique to improve angular rate accuracy of the gyroscope by combining the outputs of an array of MEMS gyroscope. A mathematical model for the accuracy improvement was described and a Kalman filter (KF) was designed to obtain optimal rate estimates. Especially, the rate signal was modeled by a first-order Markov process instead of a random walk to improve overall performance. The accuracy of the combined rate signal and affecting factors were analyzed using a steady-state covariance. A system comprising a six-gyroscope array was developed to test the presented KF. Experimental tests proved that the presented model was effective at improving the gyroscope accuracy. The experimental results indicated that six identical gyroscopes with an ARW noise of 6.2 °/√h and a bias drift of 54.14 °/h could be combined into a rate signal with an ARW noise of 1.8 °/√h and a bias drift of 16.3 °/h, while the estimated rate signal by the random walk model has an ARW noise of 2.4 °/√h and a bias drift of 20.6 °/h. It revealed that both models could improve the angular rate accuracy and have a similar performance in static condition. In dynamic condition, the test results showed that the first-order Markov process model could reduce the dynamic errors 20% more than the random walk model.
authors.affiliation: Micro and Nano Electromechanical System Laboratory, Northwestern Polytechnical University, 127 Youyi West Road, Xi'an 710072, Shaanxi, China. jiangcy@nwpu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Chengyu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Honglong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Guangmin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Weizheng
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yuan
mesh_terms: D000054:Acceleration; D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008390:Markov Chains; D055617:Micro-Electrical-Mechanical Systems / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014159:Transducers