Investigating Aspects of Heading Estimation Error in Pedestrian Navigation

S. Siddharth, A.S. Ali, C.L. Goodall, N. El-Sheimy

Abstract:	An immediate challenge in pedestrian navigation is the improvement in the heading of the user, especially, in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) denied environments and urban canyons. The solution to this problem is challenging, as in the case of low speed walking, since the observability of heading is an important problem to consider. The goal of this work is to improve the heading solution for a pedestrian with a handheld device such as: Personal Navigation Devices (PNDs), cell-phones, and other such portable navigators. To this end, it is indispensable to employ self-contained, low cost, small size, and power-efficient sensors. A suitable choice is using a magnetometer. A magnetometer needs calibration before it can be employed. A method for fast calibration of the magnetometer and a magnetometer anomaly detection algorithm will be an important consideration. In this research, the calibrated magnetometer measurements are used to obtain the true heading angle. Lab tests have been conducted to promulgate the motion modes for calibration, to compare different estimators, and test the validity of using the calibration procedure seamlessly for indoor and outdoor environments.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2011 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 24 - 26, 2011 Catamaran Resort Hotel San Diego, CA
Pages:	635 - 642
Cite this article:	Siddharth, S., Ali, A.S., Goodall, C.L., El-Sheimy, N., "Investigating Aspects of Heading Estimation Error in Pedestrian Navigation," Proceedings of the 2011 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, January 2011, pp. 635-642.
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