Quantifying Improvements from the Integration of GPS and a Tactical Grade INS in High Accuracy Navigation Applications

G. Lachapelle, M.G. Petovello, M.E. Cannon

Abstract:	Integration of GPS with inertial sensors can benefit many aspects of navigation from improved accuracy to increased reliability. The extent of such benefits however, is typically a function of the quality of the inertial system used. In this regard, little work has been done to quantify the usefulness of tactical grade inertial measurement units (IMUs) in high-accuracy (centimeter level) integrated systems. Instead, previous studies have typically focused either on high quality IMUs or have considered applications with meter level accuracy. However, as low-cost gyro and accelerometer accuracies continue to improve to the tactical grade level, the need to investigate and quantify the benefits of such sensors in integrated systems becomes ever more important. In this paper, a Honeywell HG1700 IMU is integrated with a NovAtel OEM4 dual-frequency GPS receiver for high-accuracy navigation. The accuracy of the integrated system during complete and partial GPS data outages is investigated. Use of the GPS/INS position solution during data gaps is then used to quantify the reduction of the ambiguity search space, relative to the GPS only case. The impact of different filtering strategies on ambiguity resolution after GPS data gaps is also investigated. Specifically, the advantage of centralized and decentralized filters on ambiguity resolution is investigated in terms of time needed to fix and fix accuracy. Finally, reliability theory is used to assess the theoretical robustness of the integrated system.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2003 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 22 - 24, 2003 Disneyland Paradise Pier Hotel Anaheim, CA
Pages:	454 - 465
Cite this article:	Lachapelle, G., Petovello, M.G., Cannon, M.E., "Quantifying Improvements from the Integration of GPS and a Tactical Grade INS in High Accuracy Navigation Applications," Proceedings of the 2003 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, January 2003, pp. 454-465.
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