A Single Parameter Tunable Quaternion Based Attitude Estimation Filter

Eric R. Bachmann and Xiaoping Yun

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	In human posture tracking applications, limb segment attitude can be estimated without the aid of a generated source using small inexpensive inertial/magnetic sensor modules. In the absence of an adequate process model and process noise characteristics or in an application in which the dynamic and measurement relations are non-linear, a simple complementary filter represents a computationally inexpensive solution that produces accurate attitude estimates superior to those of an improperly tuned Kalman filter. This paper presents the theory and experimental results for a single parameter tunable quaternion based attitude estimation filter. The described sub-optimal constant gain complementary filter is the first filter designed for inertial/magnetic sensor modules capable of estimating orientation in all attitudes without singularities while continuously correcting for drift without the need for still periods. Experimental results qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate the accuracy and stability of the filtering algorithm.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 53, Number 2
Pages:	109 - 120
Cite this article:	Export Citation https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-4296.2006.tb00377.x
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