Vehicle Heading Determination using only Single-antenna GPS and a Single Gyro

P.D. Groves, R.J. Handley, S.T. Parker

Abstract:	QinetiQ has developed a system for determining land vehicle heading using a single yaw-axis gyroscope and the velocity solution from single-antenna GPS. The system was developed for the indication of target locations to the military using augmented reality. Other suitable applications include land-vehicle navigation using odometers, mobile-mapping and georeferencing, surveillance, search and rescue and designation of military target locations. Heading determination methods are reviewed and the benefits of the GPS/gyro approach discussed. This is followed by a discussion of the challenges involved in determining land-vehicle heading from velocity, including handling noise and resolving the divergence of heading and track during turns. The challenges of obtaining heading changes from a single gyro are then described, including the need to deal with banked, sloping and uneven terrain, sensor mounting misalignments and vehicle roll. A summary of QinetiQ’s heading determination algorithm is followed by a discussion of simulation testing. A trial conducted on a Land Rover 110 is then described. This comprised an initial stationary period, followed by a mixture of straight travel and turns, including periods on sloping roads and variations in the road surface quality. A root mean square heading accuracy within 0.5° was obtained using a fibre optic gyro.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 22nd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2009) September 22 - 25, 2009 Savannah International Convention Center Savannah, GA
Pages:	1775 - 1784
Cite this article:	Groves, P.D., Handley, R.J., Parker, S.T., "Vehicle Heading Determination using only Single-antenna GPS and a Single Gyro," Proceedings of the 22nd International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2009), Savannah, GA, September 2009, pp. 1775-1784.
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