Fast alignment and calibration algorithms for inertial navigation system

Algorithms for fast estimating the azimuth misalignment angle and calibrating gyro drift rates are approached from the point of view of control theory. By introducing the Lyapunov transformation, the equivalence of Strapdown Inertial Navigation System (SINS) and Gimbaled Inertial Navigation System (GINS) is discussed, and it shows that the analysis results of GINS can be applied to SINS directly by using such kind of equivalence. A similar transformation that based on physical essence is introduced, so that the true states can be replaced by the so-called pseudo-states, and then the observable states of INS can be dynamically decoupled with the unobservable states. Consequently, the best completely observable subsystem model of INS can be obtained. Based on the simplified subsystem model of INS, the algorithms for fast estimating the azimuth misalignment angle and calibrating gyro drift rates are proposed. The proposed algorithms show that the azimuth misalignment angle and gyro drift rates can be estimated from the rates of leveling misalignment angles without using the gyro output signals. Crown Copyright (C) 2009 Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.