A Combination Orientation Compass Based on the Information of Polarized Skylight/Geomagnetic/MIMU

Abstract

The aim of this present is to design a new kind of compass which can be used during the absence of satellite signals. It is a development trend to enhance the reliability and environmental adaptability of navigation system to enable the vehicle-borne system to have the ability of navigation and orientation without satellite signals. So far, the geomagnetic/micro inertial measurement unit(MIMU) orientation method which has been commonly used in orientation mode is vulnerable to environmental interference and has weak reliabilities. Through the research of bionic navigation at home and abroad, it has been found that some insects such as desert ants, bees, etc. can find orientation by sensing atmospheric polarization information. In this paper, by using array polarization vision sensor to get the polarization information of the local zenith, the heading angle of polarization information can be calculated, and then by using Kalman filter, the heading angle of polarization information can be fused with the results of geomagnetic/MIMU, so as to achieve better optimal heading estimation. The environmental adaptability and effectiveness of the compass have been verified by theoretical analysis and vehicle experiments.