Method and apparatus for compensating for acceleration errors and inertial navigation system employing the same

• US 7,280,916 B2
• Filed: 06/16/2004
• Issued: 10/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Chang, Wook, Bang, Won-chul, Choi, Eun-seok, Kim, Dong-yoon, Kang, Kyoung-ho
• Primary Examiner(s): BEAULIEU, YONEL
• Application Number:
  US10/867,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20040260468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: 701/200, 701/23, 701/220, 701/221, 731/78.R, 342/357.14
• US Class Current: 701/220
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/188 for accumulated errors, e.g. by coupling inertial systems with absolute positioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38

Abstract

Provided are a method and apparatus for compensating for an acceleration error in an inertial navigation system (INS). The apparatus includes a motion detector that detects the motion of the INS and outputs information on stationary time intervals during which the INS is stationary and a moving time interval during which the INS is moving; a sensor portion that measures accelerations of the INS for the stationary time intervals and moving time interval, respectively; an error model determiner that determines an acceleration error corresponding to the moving time interval using accelerations measured during the stationary time intervals and outputs an acceleration subjected to correction of the acceleration error for the moving time interval; and a position calculator that integrates the corrected acceleration for the moving time interval and outputs the position of the INS.

Claims

1. An inertial navigation system (INS) comprising:

a motion detector that detects motion of the INS and indicates stationary time intervals when the INS is stationary and a moving time interval when the INS is moving;

a sensor portion that measures accelerations of the INS during the stationary time intervals and the moving time interval;

an error model determiner that determines an acceleration error of the moving time interval using the accelerations measured during the stationary time intervals, and outputs a corrected acceleration for the moving time interval; and

a position calculator that integrates the corrected acceleration for the moving time interval and outputs the position of the INS.

2. The INS as claimed in claim 1, wherein the error model determiner approximates stationary acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals and the acceleration error for the moving time interval by first-order functions.

3. The INS as claimed in claim 2, wherein the error model determiner determines a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval using:

a first slope of a first first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval before the moving time interval; and

a second slope of a second first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval after the moving time interval.

4. The INS as claimed in claim 3, wherein the error model determiner determines the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval by averaging the first and second slopes of the first and second first-order functions.

5. The INS as claimed in claim 2, wherein the error model determiner determines a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval using:

a first first-order function value produced when the INS undergoes a first transition from a first stationary state to a moving state; and

a second first-order function value produced when the INS undergoes a second transition from the moving state to a second stationary state.

6. The INS as claimed in claim 5, wherein the error model determiner determines the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval by dividing the difference between the values of the first and second first-order functions by the moving time interval.

7. The INS as claimed in any one of claims 2 through 6, wherein an intercept of the first-order function by which the acceleration error for the moving time interval is approximated is calculated from a condition where an integral of the result of subtracting the measured acceleration from the acceleration error over the moving time interval is equal to zero.

8. The INS as claimed in claim 1, wherein the error model determiner comprises:

a first acceleration error calculator that approximates the accelerations during the stationary time intervals by first-order functions to calculate acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals;

a zero velocity compensator that compensates velocities and accelerations derived from stationary time interval velocities; and

a second acceleration error calculator that calculates the acceleration error for the moving time interval using the approximated acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals, and outputs the corrected acceleration.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second acceleration error calculator calculates the corrected acceleration for the moving time interval by subtracting the acceleration error from the measured acceleration of the moving time interval.

10. The INS as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion detector indicates a moving time interval when the acceleration measured by the sensor portion is greater than a predetermined threshold.

11. An apparatus for compensating for an acceleration error using:

received information about stationary time intervals when a system is stationary;

a moving time interval when the system is moving; and

measured acceleration information for each time interval, the apparatus comprising;

a first acceleration error calculator that approximates accelerations during the stationary time intervals by first-order functions to calculate acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals;

a zero velocity compensator that compensates system velocities for the stationary time intervals and accelerations derived from the velocities; and

a second acceleration error calculator that calculates an acceleration error for the moving time interval using the approximated acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals, and outputs a corrected acceleration for the moving time interval.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second acceleration error calculator determines a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval using:

a first slope of a first first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval before the moving time interval; and

a second slope of a second first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval after the moving time interval.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second acceleration error calculator determines the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval by averaging the first and second slopes.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second acceleration error calculator determines a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval using:

a first first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a first transition from a first stationary state to a moving state; and

a second first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a second transition from the moving state to a second stationary state.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the second acceleration calculator determines the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval by dividing the difference between the values of the first and second first-order functions by the moving time interval.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second acceleration error calculator calculates the corrected acceleration for the moving time interval by subtracting the acceleration error from the measured acceleration of the moving time interval.

17. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 12 through 16, wherein an intercept of the first-order function by which the acceleration error of the system for the moving time interval is approximated is calculated from a condition where an integral of the result of subtracting the measured acceleration from the acceleration error over the moving time interval is equal to zero.

18. A method for calculating a position of an inertial navigation system (INS), the method comprising:

recording acceleration information of the INS;

indicating stationary time intervals when the INS is stationary and a moving time interval when the INS is moving;

approximating acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals by first-order functions using the acceleration information for the stationary time intervals, and performing zero velocity updates to correct the accelerations for the stationary time intervals;

approximating an acceleration error for the moving time interval by a first-order function using the acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals, and calculating a corrected acceleration for the moving time interval; and

calculating the position of the INS using the corrected accelerations for the stationary and moving time intervals.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined using:

a first slope of a first first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval before the moving time interval; and

a second slope of a second first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval after the moving time interval.

20. The method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined by averaging the first and second slopes.

21. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined using:

a first first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a first transition from a first stationary state to a moving state; and

a second first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a second transition from the moving state to a second stationary state.

22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined by dividing the difference between the values of the first and second first-order functions by the moving time interval.

23. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein an intercept of the first-order function by which the acceleration error for the moving time interval is approximated is calculated from a condition where an integral of the result of subtracting the measured acceleration from the acceleration error over the moving time interval is equal to zero.

24. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein a moving time interval is indicated when the measured acceleration is greater than a predetermined threshold.

25. A recording medium on which the method for calculating the position of the INS, according to any one of the claims 18 through 24, is recorded as a program code that can be read and executed by a computer.

26. A method for compensating for an acceleration error using:

received information about stationary time intervals when a system is stationary;

a moving time interval when the system is moving; and

measured acceleration information for each time interval, the method comprising;

approximating acceleration errors for the stationary time intervals by first-order functions using the acceleration information about the stationary time intervals;

performing zero velocity updates to correct the accelerations for the stationary time intervals;

approximating an acceleration error for the moving time interval by a first-order function, using the acceleration errors approximated for the stationary time intervals; and

subtracting the acceleration error for the moving time interval from the acceleration information and calculating a corrected acceleration for the moving time interval.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein a slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined using:

a first slope of a first first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval before the moving time interval; and

a second slope of a second first-order function approximating an acceleration error for a stationary time interval after the moving time interval.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, wherein the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined by averaging the first and second slopes.

29. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined using:

a first first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a first transition from a first stationary state to a moving state; and

a second first-order function value produced when the system undergoes a second transition from the moving state to a second stationary state.

30. The method as claimed in claim 29, wherein the slope of the acceleration error for the moving time interval is determined by dividing the difference between the values of the first and second first-order functions by the moving time interval.

31. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein an intercept of the first-order function by which the acceleration error for the moving time interval is approximated is calculated from a condition where an integral of the result of subtracting the measured acceleration from the acceleration error over the moving time interval is equal to zero.

32. A recording medium on which the method for compensating for an acceleration error, according to any one of claims 26 through 31, is recorded as a program code that can be read and executed by a computer.