UAV Attitude Angle Measurement Method Based on Magnetometer-Satellite Positioning System

Abstract

To improve the measurement accuracy of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), in this study, we proposed a method for measuring the attitude angle of a UAV by the combination of a magnetometer and satellite positioning system. Based on the measurement principle, we established a combined measurement error model, analyzed the root cause of the measurement error, and calibrated the magnetometer using the least-squares algorithm. For handling external or system interference effects, we designed a compensation algorithm that does not depend on environmental information. For handling measurement errors, a “current” statistical model was established, and the continuous-discrete Kalman filter algorithm was used to eliminate measurement errors. The test results showed that after using the compensation algorithm, the measurement error was reduced from 17.80% to 6.86% compared to the average absolute error of the local magnetic field intensity, and the absolute measurement error was reduced by 61.49%. The absolute measurement error was compared after using the compensation + filtering algorithm, and the error after compensation was further reduced by 42.36%. Hence, we proved the feasibility and effectiveness of our method.

Keywords

• UAV attitude angle measurement
• least squares algorithm
• compensation algorithm
• “current” statistical model
• continuous-discrete Kalman filter