Attitude estimation of miniature unmanned helicopter using unscented Kalman Filter

Yue Pan, Ping Song*, Kejie Li, Yingcai Zhou, Yiping Wang

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Attitude Estimation is critical for autonomous flight of aircraft. In this paper, an attitude estimation method for Miniature Unmanned Helicopter (MUH) is presented. The method is based on Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). It employs Quaternion to represent rotary motion. It utilizes information from three low-cost single-axis MEMS gyroscopes, two dual-axis accelerometers and a three-axis electronic compass. System state equations are established on quaternion vector and gyro bias vector while measurement equations are based on measured attitude angles. The method fuses information from several different kinds of sensors to get an optimal result. Simulations and real flight experiments are carried out to verify the validity of the method. The results show that the method overcomes the drawbacks of each sensor and is suitable for application on MUH. Compared to attitude estimation method using Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), the method avoids the calculation of Jacobian matrices.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings 2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011
Pages1548-1551
Number of pages4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2011
Event2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011 - Changchun, China
Duration: 16 Dec 201118 Dec 2011

Publication series

NameProceedings 2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011

Conference

Conference2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011
Country/TerritoryChina
CityChangchun
Period16/12/1118/12/11

Keywords

  • Attitude estimation
  • MUH
  • Unscented Kalman Filter

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Attitude estimation of miniature unmanned helicopter using unscented Kalman Filter'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this

Pan, Y., Song, P., Li, K., Zhou, Y., & Wang, Y. (2011). Attitude estimation of miniature unmanned helicopter using unscented Kalman Filter. In Proceedings 2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011 (pp. 1548-1551). Article 6199503 (Proceedings 2011 International Conference on Transportation, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering, TMEE 2011). https://doi.org/10.1109/TMEE.2011.6199503