An inertial and global positioning system based algorithm for ownship navigation

In this paper a fusion algorithm for global positioning systems (GPS) and inertial navigation system (INS), using inertial measurement unit (IMU), is proposed for ground vehicle trajectory estimation during a GPS outage. As a standalone system an INS has its limitations and an error growth as a result of bias and drift inherent to this sensor restricts its application. A GPS can be used for vehicle navigation flawlessly, however the navigation performance may suffer due to intentional or unintentional GPS signal outage. The proposed GPS-INS fusion algorithm is able to handle any GPS blackout, restrict the INS error development and estimate a precise ownship position while utilising information from two route frameworks, i.e., the GPS and the INS. The proposed GPS-INS based matched state cascaded fusion (MSCF) algorithm, is validated by finding a decrease in it's root mean squared error (RMSE) using experiments and simulations.