INS/GPS Integration using parallel Kalman filter

Cingiz Haciyev, M. Aykut Tutucu

Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics,

Maslak 80626, Istanbul, Turkiye

e-mail : cingiz@itu.edu.tr aykuttutucu@yahoo.com

 

In the paper an algorithm on aiding the Inertial Navigation System (INS) with Global Positioning System (GPS) is presented. INS calculates the position of the aircraft according to a reference system using the inertial parameters from the vehicle dynamics. INS carries out the position calculation in a self sufficient way without needing any external information source. So, INS can not be jammed and the data it supplies is continuous. However, due to characteristics of the equipment forming the INS - accelerometers and gyroscopes - system error increases continuously and after a while the position information it supplies becomes unreliable. For this reason INS must be aided by an external aiding source in order to limit or damp system error. INS can be aided by either position, velocity or attitude aiding systems. Within the scope of this study most modern and well-developed position fixing system, GPS is chosen to aid the INS. For this purpose a parallel Kalman filter, which includes two different Kalman filters and processes INS and GPS data in real time, is designed.

Simulation is made and presented on flight dynamics, and it is determined that the algorithm for aiding the INS with GPS, evaluates the motion parameters with high accuracy. Also parallel Kalman Filter does not create heavy calculation burden. Presented method can be used at aircraft, satellite and rocket navigation and control systems.