title: MEMS IMU Error Mitigation Using Rotation Modulation Technique.
abstract: Micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) outputs are corrupted by significant sensor errors. The navigation errors of a MEMS-based inertial navigation system will therefore accumulate very quickly over time. This requires aiding from other sensors such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). However, it will still remain a significant challenge in the presence of GNSS outages, which are typically in urban canopies. This paper proposed a rotary inertial navigation system (INS) to mitigate navigation errors caused by MEMS inertial sensor errors when external aiding information is not available. A rotary INS is an inertial navigator in which the IMU is installed on a rotation platform. Application of proper rotation schemes can effectively cancel and reduce sensor errors. A rotary INS has the potential to significantly increase the time period that INS can bridge GNSS outages and make MEMS IMU possible to maintain longer autonomous navigation performance when there is no external aiding. In this research, several IMU rotation schemes (rotation about X-, Y- and Z-axes) are analyzed to mitigate the navigation errors caused by MEMS IMU sensor errors. As the IMU rotation induces additional sensor errors, a calibration process is proposed to remove the induced errors. Tests are further conducted with two MEMS IMUs installed on a tri-axial rotation table to verify the error mitigation by IMU rotations.
authors.affiliation: School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, University of Electronics Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610000, China. sdu@uestc.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Shuang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Du
authors.affiliation: School of Geomatics, Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin 123000, China. sunwei-3775235@163.com.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Geomatics Engineering, The University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada. ygao@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
keywords: MEMS IMU; calibration; error mitigation; rotation modulation