A SE(2)-based transfer alignment for large installation misalignment angle

Transfer alignment is the optimal solution for initial alignment of shipborne or airborne weapons. The need for transfer alignment is increasing at large installation misalignment angles. Traditional linear models have large attitude errors at large installation misalignment angles, nonlinear algorithms are computationally intensive and difficult to be widely used, and quaternion optimization algorithms are sensitive to noise. In this paper, the Lie group theory is introduced for the first time in the study of transfer alignment. The attitude and velocity are represented as the Group of Direct Planar Isometries (SE(2)), and then the SE(2)-based error vectors are con-structed by log-linearization. The SE(2)-based linear transfer alignment algorithm is developed for large installation misalignment conditions. The computational effort of the proposed algorithm is very small due to its linear structure, and it has strong engineering application value. The simulation and field test are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed transfer alignment algorithm.