Adaptive Factor Graph-Based Tightly Coupled GNSS/IMU Fusion for Robust Positionin

TL;DR

This paper introduces an adaptive, robust factor graph-based fusion method for GNSS/IMU navigation that effectively handles non-Gaussian noise and outliers, significantly improving positioning accuracy in challenging urban environments.

Contribution

It proposes a novel adaptive fusion framework using Barron loss within a factor graph, enhancing robustness against unreliable GNSS measurements in urban navigation.

Findings

Reduces positioning errors by up to 41% compared to standard FGO.

Achieves larger improvements over EKF baselines in urban canyon environments.

Demonstrates robustness in GNSS-challenged environments.

Abstract

Reliable positioning in GNSS-challenged environments remains a critical challenge for navigation systems. Tightly coupled GNSS/IMU fusion improves robustness but remains vulnerable to non-Gaussian noise and outliers. We present a robust and adaptive factor graph-based fusion framework that directly integrates GNSS pseudorange measurements with IMU preintegration factors and incorporates the Barron loss, a general robust loss function that unifies several m-estimators through a single tunable parameter. By adaptively down weighting unreliable GNSS measurements, our approach improves resilience positioning. The method is implemented in an extended GTSAM framework and evaluated on the UrbanNav dataset. The proposed solution reduces positioning errors by up to 41% relative to standard FGO, and achieves even larger improvements over extended Kalman filter (EKF) baselines in urban canyon environments. These results highlight the benefits of Barron loss in enhancing the resilience of GNSS/IMU-based navigation in urban and signal-compromised environments.