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Scientific Reports logoLink to Scientific Reports
. 2023 Sep 15;13:15297. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-42235-6

A fast strapdown gyrocompassing algorithm based on INS differential errors

M A Amiri Atashgah 1, Hamed Mohammadkarimi 2,, Mehrdad Ebrahimi 1
PMCID: PMC10504366  PMID: 37714990

Abstract

This paper presents an enhanced algorithm for inertial gyrocompassing using strapdown sensors, which performs faster than the other available ones. The proposed algorithm is based on differential errors in an inertial navigation system and requires only the output of the inertial measurement unit while extracting and compensating for the inertial sensor errors. After eliminating the error of the inertial sensors, which is accomplished swiftly, the coarse alignment algorithm performs with error-compensated sensors, and the true north is extracted accurately. The number of non-observable parameters of the algorithm is equal to that of the fine alignment algorithm; therefore, its accuracy is the same as that of a well-tuned fine alignment. Numerical simulations and lab experiments demonstrate that the proposed method performs heading estimation in the time required to perform the coarse alignment, which is faster than the existing fine alignment algorithms.

Subject terms: Aerospace engineering, Electrical and electronic engineering

Introduction

Flying vehicles usually use ‘initial alignment’ as the first step of navigation1; this means that they correct their directions at the beginning of a flight. Alignment means the relationship between the Body (B) and the Navigation (N) coordinate system2. The word ‘leveling’ refers to calculating the angles of roll and pitch, which are the vehicle deviation from the horizon. The meaning of ‘gyrocompassing’ is finding the direction of the geographic north.

Inaccurate initial alignment causes imprecise navigation. Thus, achieving a high degree of alignment over a short time is necessary. If the initial alignment is accomplished in a stationary mode, the level angles (ϕ and θ) extraction is performed by the accelerometers; Thus, the trouble of the alignment procedure will be gyrocompassing (north-finding). Usually, there is a limited time to calculate the heading angle, however most gyrocompassing algorithms are time-consuming. Therefore, it is necessary to access a gyrocompassing algorithm with a short time and high accuracy.

Various alignment techniques can be divided into inertial, non-inertial, and hybrid methods. The inertial methods use inertial sensors to generate the transformation matrix from the body to the navigation coordinate system and work based on gravity and Earth rate measurements. Non-inertial methods are based on other physical properties; For example, the magnetic compass utilizes the Earth’s magnetic field and finds the magnetic north instead of the true north. Hybrid methods integrate the information from the inertial and non-inertial methods and have the advantage of these two categories simultaneously.

In inertial alignment, the goal is to determine the level and heading angles by strapdown inertial sensors, including three gyros and three accelerometers, and use an algorithm implemented in the processor. The alignment algorithm estimates the navigation system errors (including inertial sensor, numerical computation, and initial condition errors) and corrects the navigation solution.

In general, it can be stated that inertial alignment is categorized as ‘stationary alignment’ and ‘in-motion alignment’. Stationary alignment (the subject of this study) is completed in two successive phases, and accuracy is improved at each phase. These steps are ‘Coarse alignment’3 and ‘Fine alignment’4. The first phase (coarse alignment) provides a rough estimate of initial attitudes. In the second phase (fine alignment), a filter (regularly Kaman filters/KF) is used to refine the alignment and estimate inertial sensor errors before flight5. In this paper we have proposed a new algorithm which combines the advantages of the two conventional alignment algorithms (i.e., coarse and fine). The new algorithm is as fast as the coarse alignment and as accurate as the fine alignment. In other words, the new alignment algorithm is fast and accurate.

Reference6 proposes an algorithm for the stationary alignment of rocket navigation systems. A filter is utilized to decrease the noise in the inertial measurement. Reference7 proposes an approach based on the expansion of the measurements, where the sensors’ biases are estimated more quickly and accurately. Despite the effectiveness of the proposed approach, it could not improve the convergence rate of the platform misalignments; since it depends directly on the unobservable uncompensated biases, which the Kalman filter cannot estimate.

In Ref.8, a new method is proposed for the initial alignment. A Kalman Filter is applied for the fine alignment, while the horizontal acceleration of gravity is also taken into the measurement equations. This approach enhances the tracking ability of the KF for the attitude angle’s change. In Ref.9, a multi-rate self-alignment algorithm enhances the KF capability in estimating biases. In Ref.10, the design principle of a dual-axis rotating SINS is proposed to improve the slow convergence rate and the low accuracy during the initial alignment and self-calibration.

Reference11 presents a SINS error analysis of coarse alignment formulations. The proposed formulation does not imply normality and orthogonality errors. In Ref.12 general expression for the SINS coarse alignment errors is derived, which is valid regardless of the inertial measurement unit (IMU) orientation.

The fine alignment problem has been studied in many references, such as1319. Reference20 provides a quick method for accurate alignment; in this method, the roll and pitch rates are used to estimate the heading angle. In Ref.21, the navigation block is triggered with a particular mechanical motion, increasing precision and reducing fine alignment time. In Ref.22, the ‘multi-position’ technique is described in fine alignment; In the proposed method, the attitude of the IMU carrier is changed, and consequently, the observability of the inertial navigation system is improved. This technique reduces the alignment error.

A free IMU can perform fine alignment algorithms in a stationary mode without external aids. ‘Self-alignment’ is a process that is independent of external aiding navigation systems23. The advantage of this method is the independence of the INS from any external data; the disadvantages are as follows: some parameters become non-observable, sensitivity to noise of the inertial sensors is high, and the time required for the convergence of the algorithm is about 5–10 min.

As mentioned, the coarse alignment algorithm is fast and imprecise, while the fine alignment algorithm is slow and accurate. The algorithm presented in this paper is fast as the coarse alignment and accurate as the fine alignment. In other words, the proposed algorithm has the advantages of both traditional algorithms.

The organization of this paper is as follows: in “Rotation of small angles”, the relation between the small rotation angles and the Euler angles is derived. In “The proposed algorithm formulation”, the mathematical formulation of the new algorithm is presented. In “Methods”, the proposed algorithm is simulated and verified numerically, and lastly, the conclusion is made in “Simulation and experiments”.

Rotation of small angles

The following relation holds between two frames when the rotation angles are small24:

RN^N=E+εRN^N 1

In the above equation, RN^N is the rotation tensor of the estimated navigation frame (N^) relative to the true navigation frame (N); E is the identity tensor and εRN^N is the skew-symmetric form of the perturbation tensor (εrN^N), which is modeled as follows:

[εrN^N]N^=[εrN^N]N=[εφεθεψ]T[εRN^N]N=0-εψεθεψ0-εφ-εθεφ0 2

where εφ, εθ and εψ represent three small rotation angles. According to Ref.24, [RN^N]N=[T¯]N^N where [T]N^N is the transformation matrix of the N frame to the N^ frame; Utilizing this property, Eq. (1) can be expressed in the navigation frame:

[εRN^N]N=[RN^N]N-[E]N=[T¯]N^N-[E]N=[T]NN^-[E]N=[T]NB[T]BN^-[E]N 3

Transposing Eq. (3) results in:

-[εRN^N]N=[T¯]BN^[T¯]NB-[E]N[εRN^N]N=[E]N-[T¯]BN^[T]BN 4

Now suppose that [T]BN=f(ψ,θ,φ) and [T]BN^=f(ψ^,θ^,φ^); where ψ,θ,φ are true and ψ^,θ^,φ^ are estimated Euler angles and ‘f’ is a matrix function that transforms navigation to body frame and is defined as follows24:

f(ψ,θ,φ)=cosψcosθsinψcosθ-sinθcosψsinθsinφ-sinψcosϕsinψsinθsinφ+cosψcosφcosθsinφcosψsinθcosφ+sinψsinϕsinψsinθcosφ-cosψsinφcosθcosφ 5

Now consider the following definitions:

Δψ=ψ^-ψ,Δθ=θ^-θ,Δφ=φ^-φ 6

where Δ defines the difference between the true and estimated value of a parameter. Utilizing Eq. (6), Eq. (4) can be written as follows:

[εRN^N]N=[E]N-[T¯]BN^[T]BN=[E]N-f-1(ψ^,θ^,φ^)×f(ψ,θ,φ)=[E]N-f-1(ψ+Δψ,θ+Δθ,φ+Δφ)×f(ψ,θ,φ)=[E]N-f-1(ψ^,θ^,φ^)×f(ψ^-Δψ,θ^-Δθ,φ^-Δφ) 7

Expanding the above equation, [εRN^N]N can be found as:

[εRN^N]N=0-εψεθεψ0-εϕ-εθεϕ0=0-Δ3Δ2Δ10-Δ1-Δ2Δ10Δ1=Δθsinψ^-Δϕcosψ^cosθ^-ΔψΔθcosψ^-ΔϕΔψcosθ^sinψ^Δ2=-Δθcosψ^-Δϕcosθ^sinψ^-ΔϕΔθsinψ^sinθ^Δ3=Δϕsinθ^-Δψ-ΔϕΔθcos2ψ^cosθ^-ΔϕΔψΔθcosψ^cosθ^sinψ^ 8

The above equation can be written as Eqs. (9) or (10):

εϕ=Δθsinψ^-Δϕcosψ^cosθ^-ΔψΔθcosψ^-ΔϕΔψcosθ^sinψ^εθ=-Δθcosψ^-Δϕcosθ^sinψ^-ΔϕΔθsinψ^sinθ^εψ=Δϕsinθ^-Δψ-ΔϕΔθcos2ψ^cosθ^-ΔϕΔψΔθcosψ^cosθ^sinψ^ 9
εϕ=Δθsinψ-Δϕcosψcosθ-ΔψΔθcosψ-ΔϕΔψcosθsinψεθ=-Δθcosψ-Δϕcosθsinψ-ΔϕΔθsinψsinθεψ=Δϕsinθ-Δψ-ΔϕΔθcos2ψcosθ-ΔϕΔψΔθcosψcosθsinψ 10

According to Eq. (6), Eq. (10) is rewritten as follows:

εϕ=(θ^-θ)sinψ-(ϕ^-ϕ)cosψcosθ-(ψ^-ψ)(θ^-θ)cosψ-(ϕ^-ϕ)(ψ^-ψ)cosθsinψεθ=-(θ^-θ)cosψ-(ϕ^-ϕ)cosθsinψ-(ϕ^-ϕ)(θ^-θ)sinψsinθεψ=(ϕ^-ϕ)sinθ-(ψ^-ψ)-(ϕ^-ϕ)(θ^-θ)cos2ψcosθ-(ϕ^-ϕ)(ψ^-ψ)(θ^-θ)cosψcosθsinψ 11

The above equation demonstrates the relationship between the small rotation angles and the Euler angles. The expanded form of Eq. (11) is also as follows:

εϕ=θ^sinψ-θsinψ-ϕ^cosψcosθ+ϕcosψcosθ+ψ^θcosψ-ψ^θ^cosψ+ψθ^cosψ-ψθcosψ+ϕ^ψcosθsinψ-ϕ^ψ^cosθsinψ+ϕψ^cosθsinψ-ϕψcosθsinψεθ=-θ^cosψ+θcosψ-ϕ^cosθsinψ+ϕcosθsinψ+ϕ^θsinψsinθ-ϕ^θ^sinψsinθ+ϕθ^sinψsinθ-ϕθsinψsinθεψ=ϕ^sinθ-ϕsinθ-ψ^+ψ+ϕ^θcos2ψcosθ-ϕ^θ^cos2ψcosθ+ϕθ^cos2ψcosθ-ϕθcos2ψcosθ+ϕ^ψ^θcosψcosθsinψ-ϕ^ψ^θ^cosψcosθsinψ+ϕ^ψθ^cosψcosθsinψ+ϕψ^θ^cosψcosθsinψ-ϕ^ψθcosψcosθsinψ-ϕψ^θcosψcosθsinψ-ϕψθ^cosψcosθsinψ+ϕψθcosψcosθsinψ 12

In the next section, the above equation is used to extract the error of IMU sensors in a stand-alone mode.

The proposed algorithm formulation

Consider the set of velocity and attitude navigation error equations. These equations are given in Ref.25 as follows:

εv˙n=T11NBδfx+T12NBδfy+T13NBδfz+feεψ-fdεθ-ve2sec2λRe+2ωnveελ+(ve2tanλ-vnvd)Re2εh+vdReεvn+2ωd-2vetanλReεve+vnReεvdεv˙e=T21NBδfx+T22NBδfy+T23NBδfz-fnεψ+fdεϕ+vevnsec2λRe+2ωnvn+2ωdvdελ-(vevntanλ+vevd)Re2εh+veRe+2ωnεvd+vetanλRe-2ωdεvn+(vntanλ+vd)Reεveεv˙d=T31NBδfx+T32NBδfy+T33NBδfz+fnεθ-feεϕ-2ωdveελ+(ve2+vn2)Re2εh+δg-2vnReεvn-2veRe+2ωnεve 13
εϕ˙=ωdελ-veRe2εh+1Reεve+ωd-vetanλReεθ+vnReεψ-T11NBδωx-T12NBδωy-T13NBδωzεθ˙=vnRe2εh-1Reεvn+vetanλRe-ωdεϕ+ωn+veReεψ-T21NBδωx-T22NBδωy-T23NBδωzεψ˙=-ωn+vesec2λReελ+vetanλRe2εh-tanλReεve-vnReεϕ-ωn+veReεθ-T31NBδωx-T32NBδωy-T33NBδωz 14

where λ, , vn, ve and vd denote latitude, longitude, and north, east, and down terrestrial velocities, respectively. Re is the radius of the Earth and ε is the perturbation operator. The attitude error between the true and computed navigation frames is defined by εϕ, εθ and εψ. Also, ωEI is the Earth’s angular velocity and ωn, ωd, fn, fe and fd are defined as follows:

[ωEI]N=ωEIcosλ0-ωEIsinλ=ωn0ωd 15
[aBI]N=fnfefd=[T]NBfxfyfz 16

Applying stationary conditions ([vBE]N=[000]T and [f]N=[-g]N=[00-g]T) to Eqs. (13)–(14), assuming spherical Earth, neglecting position parameters (ελ and εh), ignoring the gravity model error (δg=0), navigation error equations are simplified as follows:

εv˙n=δfn+2ωdεve+gεθεv˙e=δfe-2ωdεvn+2ωnεvd-gεϕεv˙d=δfd-2ωnεveεϕ˙=-δωn+1/Reεve+ωdεθεθ˙=-δωe-1/Reεvn-ωdεϕ+ωnεψεψ˙=-δωd-1/Retanλεve-ωnεθ 17

IMU calibration

Calibration of inertial sensors is an important procedure which affects the performance of navigation products. Due to stochastic nature of sensor’s noises, factory calibration is not a perfect process. Performing in-motion or in-run calibration may increase the IMU accuracy. In this section, a new method for IMU calibration is proposed and its application in initial alignment is discussed.

The problem of IMU calibration is investigated by many researchers. Reference26 explores the present state and upcoming directions of MEMS inertial sensor calibration technology. It discusses the existing advancements in this field while shedding light on potential future trends. The authors analyze the significance of accurate calibration for MEMS sensors and highlight the challenges involved. Reference27 presents a systematic method for calibrating inertial sensors on gravity recovery satellites. The authors introduce a comprehensive approach for achieving accurate calibration, emphasizing its importance for gravity recovery missions. The study outlines the calibration process and its benefits. This work contributes to the enhancement of satellite-based gravity recovery systems through robust inertial sensor calibration techniques.

Reference28 introduces a novel self-calibration method for inertial measurement units (IMUs) utilizing distributed inertial sensors. The authors propose an innovative approach that leverages multiple sensors to calibrate IMUs autonomously. This method enhances the accuracy and reliability of IMU measurements by exploiting distributed information. The study outlines the self-calibration process and its benefits, highlighting its potential to improve IMU performance in various applications.

Reference29 focuses on the extrinsic calibration of visual and inertial sensors for autonomous vehicles. The authors present a method for accurately calibrating the relative positions and orientations of both types of sensors to facilitate robust perception and navigation. The study emphasizes the importance of precise extrinsic calibration in enhancing the perception capabilities of autonomous vehicles. Reference30 presents a self-calibration method for arrays of inertial sensors. The authors propose an innovative approach that enables the automatic calibration of multiple inertial sensors within an array. This method aims to enhance the accuracy and reliability of sensor measurements by leveraging inter-sensor correlations and spatial relationships.

Accelerometers calibration

Consider the velocity error in Eq. (17) and assume that εθ=εϕ=0, the following simplified equations are obtained:

εv˙n=δfn+2ωdεveεv˙e=δfe-2ωdεvn+2ωnεvdεv˙d=δfd-2ωnεve 18

Integrating the above equations in the time domain leads to:

0tεv˙ndt=0tδfndt+0t2ωdεvedt0tεv˙edt=0tδfedt-0t2ωdεvndt+0t2ωnεvddt0tεv˙ddt=0tδfddt-0t2ωnεvedt 19

The above equation is expanded as follows:

εvn(t)-εvn(0)=δfn(t-0)+2ωd0tεvedtεve(t)-εve(0)=δfe(t-0)-2ωd0tεvndt+2ωn0tεvddtεvd(t)-εvd(0)=δfd(t-0)-2ωn0tεvedt 20

Assuming εvn(0)=εve(0)=εvd(0)=0, The above equation is simplified as follows:

δfnt=εvn(t)-2ωd0tεvedtδfet=εve(t)+2ωd0tεvndt-2ωn0tεvddtδfdt=εvd(t)+2ωn0tεvedt 21

Based on the definition of the ε operator (Appendix A) and that the true velocity is zero in stationary mode, εvi(i=n,e,d) will be simplified as:

εvn(t)=vn(t)-0=vn(t)εve(t)=ve(t)-0=ve(t)εvd(t)=vd(t)-0=vd(t) 22

Based on the above relation, Eq. (21) is rewritten as follows:

δfn=vn(t)-2ωd0tve(t)dttδfe=ve(t)+2ωd0tvn(t)dt-2ωn0tvd(t)dttδfd=vd(t)+2ωn0tve(t)dtt 23

According to the above equation, the projection of accelerometers error in the navigation coordinate is obtained; these errors can be compensated, and thus the IMU accuracy is improved.

Gyros calibration

Consider the attitude error terms in Eq. (17) and integrating them over time leads to:

0tεϕ˙dt=-0tδωndt+0t1Reεvedt+0tωdεθdt0tεθ˙dt=-0tδωedt-0t1Reεvndt-0tωdεϕdt+0tωnεψdt0tεψ˙dt=-0tδωddt-0ttanλReεvedt-0tωnεθdt 24

Equation (24) is rewritten as follows:

δωnt=+1Re0tvedt+ωd0t[εθ]dt-εϕ(t)+εϕ(0) 25
δωet=-1Re0tvndt-ωd0t[εϕ]dt+ωn0t[εψ]dt-εθ(t)+εθ(0) 26
δωdt=-tanλRe0tvedt-ωn0t[εθ]dt-εψ(t)+εψ(0) 27

Now consider the following assumptions which come from the stationary condition:

ϕ(t)=ϕ(0)=constantθ(t)=θ(0)=constantψ(t)=ψ(0)=constant 28

Replacing Eqs. (12) and (28) into Eq. (25) leads to:

δωnt=+1Re0tve(t)dt-ωdcosψ(0)0tθ^(t)dt+ωdcosψ(0)θ(0)0tdt-ωdcosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)dt+ωdφ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tdt+ωdθ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωdsinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tφ^(t)θ^(t)dt+ωdφ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tθ^(t)dt-ωdφ(0)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tdt-θ^(t)sinψ(0)+θ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(t)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)-φ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)-ψ^(t)θ(0)cosψ(0)+ψ^(t)θ^(t)cosψ(0)-ψ(0)θ^(t)cosψ(0)+ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)-φ^(t)ψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(t)ψ^(t)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ^(t)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+θ^(0)sinψ(0)-θ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)+φ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)+ψ^(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)-ψ^(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)+ψ(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)-ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)+φ^(0)ψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(0)ψ^(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ^(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0) 29

Replacing Eqs. (12) and (28) into Eq. (26) leads to:

δωet=-1Re0tvn(t)dt+ωdφ(0)ψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tdt-ωdsinψ(0)0tθ^(t)dt+ωdθ(0)sinψ(0)0tdt+ωdcosψ(0)cosθ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωdφ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)0tdt-ωdθ(0)cosψ(0)0tψ^(t)dt+ωdcosψ(0)0tψ^(t)θ^(t)dt-ωdψ(0)cosψ(0)0tθ^(t)dt+ωdψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)0tdt-ωdψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)dt+ωdcosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)ψ^(t)dt-ωdφ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tψ^(t)dt+ωnsinθ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)sinθ(0)0tdt-ωn0tψ^(t)dt+ωnψ(0)0tdt+ωnθ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωncos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)0tφ^(t)θ^(t)dt+ωnφ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)0tθ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)θ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)0tdt+ωnθ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)ψ^(t)dt-ωncosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)ψ^(t)θ^(t)dt+ωnψ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)θ^(t)dt+ωnφ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tψ^(t)θ^(t)dt-ωnψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tψ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)ψ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tθ^(t)dt+ωnφ(0)ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tdt+θ^(t)cosψ(0)-θ(0)cosψ(0)+φ^(t)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(t)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)+φ^(t)θ^(t)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)-φ(0)θ^(t)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)-θ^(0)cosψ(0)+θ(0)cosψ(0)-φ^(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(0)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)-φ^(0)θ^(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)+φ(0)θ^(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)-φ(0)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)+φ(0)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0) 30

Replacing Eqs. (12) and (28) into Eq. (27) leads to:

δωdt=-tanλRe0tve(t)dt+ωnφ(0)θ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tdt+ωncosψ(0)0tθ^(t)dt-ωnθ(0)cosψ(0)0tdt+ωncosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tφ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)0tdt-ωnθ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tφ^(t)dt+ωnsinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tφ^(t)θ^(t)dt-ωnφ(0)sinψ(0)sinθ(0)0tθ^(t)dt-φ^(t)sinθ(0)+φ(0)sinθ(0)+ψ^(t)-ψ(0)-φ^(t)θ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)+φ^(t)θ^(t)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)-φ(0)θ^(t)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)+φ(0)θ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)-φ^(t)ψ^(t)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(t)ψ^(t)θ^(t)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(t)ψ(0)θ^(t)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ^(t)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ^(t)θ^(t)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(t)ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ(0)θ^(t)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(0)sinθ(0)-φ(0)sinθ(0)-ψ^(0)+ψ(0)+φ^(0)ψ(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ^(0)θ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)-φ^(0)θ^(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)+φ(0)θ^(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)-φ(0)θ(0)cos2ψ(0)cosθ(0)+φ^(0)ψ^(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(0)ψ^(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ^(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ^(0)ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ(0)θ^(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)+φ(0)ψ(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0)-φ(0)ψ^(0)θ(0)cosψ(0)cosθ(0)sinψ(0) 31

According to Eqs. (29)–(31), the projection of gyros error in the navigation coordinate are obtained; these errors can be compensated, and thus the IMU accuracy is improved. In the next section, the extracted equations are simulated and verified.

Methods

The objective of this section is to provide a detailed explanation of a novel algorithm that aligns SINS systems fast and precisely. The main innovation of this algorithm lies in its use of analytical relations to identify bias errors of gyroscopes and then eliminate them from IMU outputs. Unlike traditional initial alignment algorithms that involve a laborious fine alignment phase, the proposed approach can estimate initial Euler angles by substituting the fine alignment phase with a conventional coarse alignment process. This results in a substantial reduction in the time required to achieve a high level of accuracy. In other words, the proposed algorithm gains the fast computation time of inaccurate conventional coarse alignment phase and accuracy of traditional time-consuming fine alignment techniques at the same time. Figure 1 illustrates a general view of the suggested alignment algorithm. It should be mentioned that the proposed algorithm is operational in the stationary alignment condition.

Figure 1.

Figure 1

Flowchart of the proposed alignment algorithm.

This algorithm consists of three stages, with the first and third stages being single-shot processes, while the second stage is an iterative process that has a maximum iteration time of Tf. The first stage involves a conventional coarse alignment algorithm while the second stage is the primary contribution of this paper and calculates bias errors in accelerometers and gyroscopes using analytical relations derived in the previous section. Once the second stage reaches its maximum running time condition, the third stage begins by subtracting calculated biases from gyros and accelerometers output and then running a conventional coarse alignment, similar to the first stage. The proposed alignment requires a time period which equals the time required by the coarse alignment and achieves an accuracy which is given by the fine alignment. The algorithm utilizes analytical explicit formulas and there is no tuning procedure as in the fine alignment.

In the proposed algorithm, at first, the average value of the IMU’s outputs are computed. This averaging is done to remove the noise effects and causes six numbers (three for accelerometers and three for gyros). The following procedure is then performed:

  1. Coarse alignment is executed (by the six numbers from the averaged IMU’s outputs).

  2. Differential calibration is done (by the six numbers from the averaged IMU’s outputs and three numbers from the coarse alignment output as the initial condition for roll, pitch and yaw).

  3. Another coarse alignment is performed (using the six numbers from the averaged IMU’s outputs and six numbers from the differential calibration output as the biases of accelerometers and gyros).

In above procedure, calibration of inertial sensors (step 2) is performed to remove biases from the six averaged numbers; The averaged numbers are used in steps 1, 2 and 3. In steps 1 and 2, the averaged numbers are contaminated to biases. In step 3, biases are removed from the averaged numbers.

Simulation and experiments

In this section, the relations extracted in the previous section are simulated and verified. The error model of accelerometers and gyroscopes, including misalignment error, scale factor, bias, and noise are assumed as the following:

f~xf~yf~z=SxaMxyaMxzaMyxaSyaMyzaMzxaMzyaSzafxfyfz+bxabyabza+nxanyanza 32
ω~xω~yω~z=SxgMxygMxzgMyxgSygMyzgMzxgMzygSzgωxωyωz+bxgbygbzg+nxgnygnzg 33

To verify Eqs. (23), (29)–(31), various scenarios have been created according to Tables 1, 2 and 3. In Table 1, 50 different conditions for the inertial block are generated randomly (including latitude, longitude, altitude, and Euler angles). The calibration error coefficient for accelerometers and gyros are generated in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. Based on Tables 1, 2 and 3, 50 different scenarios are produced.

Table 1.

Definition of position and attitude in different scenarios.

Sc no. λ (deg) ℓ (deg) h (m) φ (deg) θ (deg) ψ (deg)
1 52.063 29.042 1965 46.613 73.551 143.531
2 52.703 303.545 4451 − 62.945 − 71.000 − 39.908
3 7.125 308.086 3704 − 55.853 77.477 6.554
4 − 77.400 288.496 2940 119.151 − 74.700 − 32.002
5 40.374 313.443 62 − 27.888 − 34.659 39.528
6 31.124 267.927 4982 − 54.630 − 30.206 44.526
7 52.991 253.733 3046 172.458 − 73.953 162.428
8 31.898 233.046 92 − 120.062 61.330 − 137.091
9 34.875 227.766 3193 169.242 83.826 − 89.233
10 24.498 202.075 4250 − 11.065 − 64.584 79.098
11 − 32.001 103.863 3017 60.075 − 24.025 − 21.306
12 − 65.192 107.609 1364 − 133.940 − 6.788 110.531
13 − 62.814 350.914 3815 − 177.923 11.451 112.853
14 − 30.661 293.175 2503 85.684 56.627 79.929
15 − 25.950 300.372 4870 10.787 − 38.505 18.294
16 27.598 165.953 2164 75.236 − 79.447 − 143.084
17 32.153 41.740 2898 26.452 − 33.117 − 160.984
18 − 20.918 263.982 3393 109.971 8.385 − 32.586
19 − 39.757 202.430 3966 120.247 72.776 − 72.402
20 − 8.421 163.970 1029 − 138.234 18.998 − 165.802
21 − 12.792 345.385 1775 − 7.166 − 38.086 62.434
22 − 51.257 21.917 3929 − 50.191 76.107 − 67.129
23 − 66.248 288.103 930 − 82.876 − 82.749 83.469
24 25.062 316.380 2370 − 125.611 66.468 − 95.655
25 − 77.872 115.560 4338 − 138.943 67.078 64.595
26 48.196 265.293 2489 18.614 74.229 23.576
27 19.453 69.024 3860 − 177.341 − 72.813 − 93.902
28 4.776 304.305 2128 1.206 − 39.348 − 75.370
29 − 8.743 62.418 4259 28.027 65.844 − 136.211
30 59.229 30.576 4280 61.957 58.603 − 173.401
31 − 23.558 61.844 4762 70.082 − 46.028 115.519
32 − 12.654 38.284 82 − 108.154 78.009 − 3.288
33 32.204 125.333 3072 − 159.569 − 85.415 94.240
34 35.560 35.200 2417 143.509 − 71.756 53.949
35 − 44.924 75.912 524 − 37.448 − 70.225 100.154
36 81.921 80.399 1864 103.743 − 9.152 − 126.512
37 − 25.089 319.960 2407 33.837 68.994 − 113.941
38 76.504 187.387 495 33.956 73.464 150.176
39 18.113 328.424 3865 8.183 − 49.128 70.935
40 − 44.545 294.023 4809 − 20.745 83.960 − 120.771
41 − 57.278 163.223 4066 − 3.620 9.313 − 173.292
42 − 8.749 233.549 4672 125.186 − 79.628 129.391
43 79.156 47.619 83 − 106.696 − 74.997 151.264
44 5.280 291.591 3031 78.776 3.58 − 10.292
45 82.904 289.473 401 − 142.101 18.234 148.797
46 34.143 59.349 2270 109.561 46.448 120.330
47 − 42.880 271.319 619 − 35.522 − 37.395 − 113.109
48 50.011 251.843 3230 8.939 − 63.217 54.644
49 74.671 120.871 547 − 80.063 72.806 47.665
50 − 75.426 166.792 3366 31.516 − 61.217 − 139.371

Table 2.

Definition of accelerometers coefficients in different scenarios.

Sc No. Sxa Mxya Mxza Myxa Sya Myza Mzxa Mzya Sza bxa bya bza
ppm s s s ppm s s s ppm μg μg μg
1 − 49 6 12 6 − 37 14 12 9 − 50 55 123 147
2 − 27 14 7 6 − 58 15 9 13 − 58 133 148 85
3 − 67 13 8 14 − 73 11 15 14 − 45 119 83 130
4 − 49 10 7 10 − 34 14 7 6 − 52 72 106 100
5 − 41 9 13 13 − 39 13 8 5 − 57 73 99 140
6 − 67 9 8 7 − 43 9 7 6 − 43 99 134 108
7 − 34 11 13 10 − 26 12 5 6 − 55 67 141 57
8 − 49 12 6 12 − 43 7 8 7 − 56 82 100 120
9 − 33 9 13 10 − 32 6 11 11 − 48 141 139 125
10 − 55 5 8 9 − 72 6 8 6 − 30 114 140 63
11 − 51 5 8 9 − 42 12 7 14 − 37 142 144 90
12 − 41 12 10 7 − 49 13 11 15 − 63 71 85 136
13 − 35 11 6 5 − 61 13 7 13 − 27 112 55 129
14 − 69 7 12 7 − 69 10 12 14 − 52 90 69 109
15 − 69 6 13 11 − 35 11 10 10 − 71 112 74 125
16 − 48 6 10 11 − 57 8 7 12 − 56 75 82 86
17 − 28 7 13 7 − 73 11 7 10 − 72 52 115 112
18 − 73 8 13 8 − 31 6 7 9 − 54 119 94 130
19 − 36 7 11 13 − 33 13 14 8 − 45 136 106 130
20 − 54 5 12 6 − 26 8 9 10 − 74 82 96 115
21 − 41 12 10 14 − 51 8 12 12 − 48 68 89 81
22 − 67 12 12 7 − 49 5 14 9 − 70 93 72 120
23 − 56 14 9 14 − 28 8 11 8 − 34 138 70 94
24 − 44 15 13 15 − 41 13 8 9 − 34 95 73 108
25 − 71 12 11 13 − 32 13 14 6 − 59 149 124 92
26 − 61 7 10 8 − 51 6 11 13 − 29 86 110 70
27 − 36 11 10 8 − 66 10 10 14 − 38 76 103 66
28 − 74 14 7 6 − 65 15 7 12 − 64 138 146 58
29 − 38 8 13 12 − 70 6 9 6 − 33 54 109 72
30 − 55 11 10 10 − 74 8 6 14 − 39 109 121 72
31 − 36 9 11 9 − 44 12 5 15 − 47 72 137 107
32 − 41 14 8 13 − 51 9 15 11 − 50 85 124 133
33 − 50 10 8 13 − 50 11 5 8 − 56 128 140 71
34 − 40 13 15 6 − 67 9 6 7 − 30 125 106 140
35 − 53 9 10 12 − 37 5 13 7 − 73 140 110 99
36 − 46 14 9 6 − 75 5 11 6 − 48 82 112 83
37 − 41 8 10 14 − 54 15 13 8 − 32 123 86 58
38 − 53 12 15 11 − 35 10 11 13 − 62 89 79 99
39 − 44 5 8 7 − 66 11 6 6 − 60 106 93 70
40 − 31 15 13 6 − 51 14 10 14 − 71 79 54 83
41 − 58 11 8 7 − 40 14 13 7 − 51 134 61 118
42 − 37 6 7 13 − 40 11 12 8 − 59 95 68 92
43 − 64 10 11 10 − 33 10 11 6 − 57 122 118 91
44 − 70 15 11 10 − 25 6 10 10 − 46 143 111 102
45 − 26 11 14 12 − 71 9 15 7 − 62 120 83 58
46 − 64 10 13 6 − 60 14 13 9 − 70 146 117 108
47 − 58 13 8 14 − 36 13 7 11 − 34 143 86 134
48 − 46 13 10 5 − 61 14 11 11 − 32 71 82 55
49 − 36 6 10 14 − 63 11 9 11 − 71 144 75 106
50 − 50 15 5 11 − 69 6 7 8 − 65 104 116 93

Table 3.

Definition of gyros coefficients in different scenarios.

Sc No. Sxg Mxyg Mxzg Myxg Syg Myzg Mzxg Mzyg Szg bxg byg bzg
ppm s s s ppm s s s ppm °/h °/h °/h
1 − 22 6 5 6 − 22 6 4 3 − 16 0.012 0.009 0.005
2 − 25 7 3 6 − 13 5 4 7 − 30 0.014 0.008 0.005
3 − 13 4 3 3 − 10 3 5 7 − 25 0.005 0.006 0.008
4 − 22 3 6 6 − 15 3 7 7 − 11 0.015 0.010 0.006
5 − 29 6 5 7 − 18 3 5 7 − 27 0.014 0.005 0.008
6 − 10 4 7 5 − 12 3 3 6 − 11 0.011 0.009 0.014
7 − 13 5 3 3 − 20 6 3 4 − 11 0.006 0.005 0.012
8 − 29 3 5 5 − 27 6 6 7 − 25 0.014 0.009 0.011
9 − 15 3 6 6 − 19 3 5 6 − 15 0.015 0.011 0.008
10 − 19 6 3 3 − 13 6 6 4 − 13 0.007 0.006 0.014
11 − 11 3 7 4 − 24 4 5 7 − 28 0.010 0.010 0.010
12 − 25 4 5 6 − 16 6 3 4 − 25 0.009 0.006 0.010
13 − 29 7 5 7 − 14 6 7 3 − 29 0.007 0.015 0.008
14 − 14 5 7 6 − 22 3 7 5 − 29 0.012 0.009 0.007
15 − 22 6 6 6 − 19 6 4 7 − 11 0.014 0.015 0.014
16 − 25 7 4 7 − 10 5 7 3 − 13 0.012 0.014 0.009
17 − 19 7 3 3 − 28 6 5 7 − 23 0.014 0.013 0.006
18 − 23 5 6 3 − 13 6 4 3 − 25 0.015 0.009 0.014
19 − 15 7 3 6 − 30 5 7 3 − 12 0.012 0.013 0.008
20 − 26 6 6 5 − 11 6 7 7 − 14 0.010 0.014 0.014
21 − 28 6 4 3 − 24 4 7 6 − 19 0.010 0.006 0.009
22 − 24 5 3 5 − 27 3 5 7 − 26 0.015 0.013 0.012
23 − 26 7 5 4 − 28 7 6 4 − 16 0.009 0.009 0.010
24 − 27 5 3 3 − 26 6 7 5 − 23 0.008 0.011 0.010
25 − 20 3 7 7 − 22 6 6 7 − 30 0.013 0.008 0.007
26 − 26 7 6 5 − 26 3 6 4 − 28 0.011 0.014 0.010
27 − 20 5 6 6 − 15 4 5 7 − 17 0.008 0.010 0.012
28 − 13 5 4 7 − 17 5 4 4 − 29 0.011 0.015 0.008
29 − 13 3 5 6 − 23 6 7 5 − 16 0.008 0.007 0.009
30 − 20 4 6 3 − 22 7 4 5 − 17 0.010 0.006 0.008
31 − 29 5 3 4 − 20 4 6 7 − 25 0.005 0.008 0.009
32 − 19 5 3 3 − 22 5 7 5 − 29 0.009 0.012 0.011
33 − 20 4 4 7 − 29 3 6 6 − 12 0.006 0.008 0.007
34 − 19 6 7 5 − 18 3 7 7 − 14 0.009 0.006 0.013
35 − 20 3 4 3 − 28 4 3 5 − 23 0.014 0.012 0.008
36 − 11 5 3 6 − 23 4 6 4 − 16 0.009 0.006 0.006
37 − 11 4 7 6 − 12 7 4 6 − 18 0.012 0.005 0.013
38 − 16 3 7 6 − 12 3 7 7 − 25 0.009 0.015 0.014
39 − 29 4 3 6 − 26 6 7 4 − 12 0.010 0.011 0.006
40 − 18 7 5 5 − 25 4 3 6 − 16 0.013 0.006 0.008
41 − 29 6 3 7 − 26 5 6 5 − 23 0.015 0.013 0.005
42 − 11 5 7 3 − 10 3 3 7 − 15 0.011 0.006 0.010
43 − 24 7 6 6 − 21 7 3 5 − 27 0.006 0.011 0.009
44 − 14 5 3 4 − 21 4 5 3 − 29 0.015 0.013 0.007
45 − 16 3 7 6 − 16 4 7 4 − 26 0.009 0.012 0.012
46 − 16 4 4 4 − 24 3 6 6 − 13 0.010 0.005 0.015
47 − 28 3 5 4 − 14 7 5 6 − 20 0.005 0.014 0.013
48 − 22 4 4 3 − 10 3 6 4 − 24 0.013 0.013 0.005
49 − 13 3 5 6 − 20 7 4 4 − 12 0.012 0.010 0.015
50 − 24 3 6 3 − 26 5 5 5 − 13 0.008 0.007 0.006

In Fig. 2, the results of the proposed algorithm are compared with the ‘coarse’ and ‘fine’ alignment methods. For this purpose, a coarse alignment is run at first. Then, the proposed algorithm is run, and the IMU error is compensated. Lastly, another coarse alignment is run by the error-compensated IMU. Results show that the proposed algorithm has achieved fine alignment accuracy in a limited time. In Fig. 3, the values of the accelerometer errors calculated by the proposed algorithm are shown. It is observed that the accelerometer errors are calculated accurately. In Fig. 4, the error values of gyros are shown. It is observed that the proposed algorithm cannot estimate the gyroscope error of the east channel, but in the north and down channels, the errors of the gyros are estimated accurately. It should be mentioned that according to Ref.31, east gyro error is not observable and thus not estimable.

Figure 2.

Figure 2

Comparison between different alignment algorithms.

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Estimated value of accelerometers error with the alignment algorithm.

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Estimated value of gyroscopes error with the alignment algorithm.

In the subsequent tests, the FOG100 gyrocompass data produced by GEM Elettronica, Italy, was utilized to validate the performance of the proposed alignment technique in real conditions. This system consists of three optical fiber gyroscopes with an accuracy of 0.02 deg/h and three quartz accelerometers with an accuracy of 50 µg. The data sampling frequency was 100 Hz. maximum iteration time, Tf, was set by try and error to Tf = 0.05 s. The device was placed on a rate table, and stationary outputs were recorded. This procedure was repeated ten times, and in each trial, five points were selected randomly (fifty points in total). The table was also used to calculate the bias of the sensors by subtracting the measured values from the nominal values.

Figure 5 indicates that the proposed alignment error in gyrocompassing is very similar to the fine alignment approach. According to Appendix B, the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is the same as the fine alignment algorithm. In this figure, the errors represent the difference between the table orientation and the alignment techniques' output. Figure 6 depicts the bias of the accelerometers in the navigation frame, as well as their estimates by the proposed alignment method. According to Ref.31, the bias of the vertical accelerometer is observable; therefore, this bias is precisely calculated. The bias of the gyroscopes in the navigation frame is seen in Fig. 7. The north and vertical gyros biases are observable and thus they are accurately determined.

Figure 5.

Figure 5

Comparison between different alignment algorithms.

Figure 6.

Figure 6

Estimated value of accelerometers error with the alignment algorithm.

Figure 7.

Figure 7

Estimated value of gyroscopes error with the alignment algorithm.

Conclusion

This paper proposes a novel algorithm for inertial gyrocompassing in the stationary stand-alone mode. The proposed algorithm only uses an IMU to solve the initial alignment problem quickly, accurately, and reasonably. The new algorithm is fast as the ‘coarse alignment’ and accurate as the ‘fine alignment’ algorithms. For this purpose, the mathematical relation between the ‘small rotation angles’ and the ‘navigation error equations’ was extracted and used to calculate the error of IMU sensors. These errors can be compensated, and consequently, the accuracy of the IMU is improved; This, in turn, causes the initial alignment procedure to be performed more accurately. Simulations and experiments show that the proposed algorithm can achieve the accuracy of fine alignment in a short time (the same time as needed by the coarse alignment). Therefore, the proposed algorithm is superior to the two standard initial alignment algorithms (coarse and fine alignment).

Supplementary Information

List of symbols

B

Body frame

N

Navigation frame

N^

Estimated navigation frame

Re

Radius of earth

E

Identity tensor

fx,fy,fz

Accelerometers output in x, y, and z channels of the body frame

δfx,δfy,δfz

The error of accelerometers in the x, y, and z channels of the body frame

RN^N

Rotation tensor of the frame N^ relative to frame N

vn,ve,vd

Velocities in north, east, and down channels

λ,,h

Latitude, longitude, and height

ωn,ωd

Components of Earth's angular velocity in the north and down channels

ε

‘Component perturbation’ operator

δ

‘Total perturbation’ operator

ωx,ωy,ωz

Gyros output in x, y, and z channels of the body frame

δωx,δωy,δωz

The error of gyros in the x, y, and z channels of the body frame

εrN^N

Perturbation of the rotation vector of the frame N^ relative to frame N

εRN^N

Skew symmetric form of εrN^N

ϕ,θ,ψ

Roll, pitch, and yaw angles

ϕ^,θ^,ψ^

Estimated roll, pitch, and yaw angles

φ,θ,ψ

Actual roll, pitch, and yaw angles

εϕ,εθ,εψ

Small rotation angles

Δϕ,Δθ,Δψ

The error in roll, pitch, and yaw angles

[T]BN

Transformation matrix of the navigation frame to the body frame

[T^]BN

Estimation of [T]BN

Author contributions

This article is a part of M.E. PhD thesis which was supervised by H.M. and M.A.A.

Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Footnotes

Publisher's note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-023-42235-6.

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Supplementary Materials

Data Availability Statement

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.


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