Attitude and Gyro Bias Estimation Using GPS and IMU Measurements

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel hybrid attitude observer that estimates attitude, gyro bias, and apparent acceleration using GPS and IMU data, with proven stability on $SO(3)$.

Contribution

It presents a new switching technique for attitude estimation, achieving global exponential stability and directly estimating gyro bias and acceleration.

Findings

Proven semi-global exponential stability of the estimation errors.

Introduction of a velocity-aided hybrid attitude observer.

Effective estimation of gyro bias and apparent acceleration.

Abstract

We propose an attitude and gyro-bias estimation scheme for accelerated rigid body systems using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and a global positioning system (GPS). The proposed scheme allows to obtain attitude estimates directly on the Special Orthogonal group $SO(3)$ while estimating the gyro bias and the unknown apparent acceleration of the vehicle. We prove semi-global exponential stability of the estimation errors. Furthermore, a new switching technique for the attitude state is introduced which results in a velocity-aided hybrid attitude observer with proven global exponential stability.