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Analysis of an Improved IMU-Based Observer for Multirotor Helicopters

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Abstract

Multirotor helicopters are increasingly popular platforms in the robotics community. Making them fully autonomous requires accurate state estimation. We review an improved dynamic model for multirotor helicopters and analyze the observability properties of an estimator based on this model. The model allows better use of IMU data to facilitate accurate state estimates even when updates from a sensor measuring position become less frequent and less accurate. We demonstrate that the position update rate can be cut in half versus typical approaches while maintaining the same accuracy. We also find that velocity estimates are at least twice as accurate independent of the position update rate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    John Macdonald & Randal Beard

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA

    Robert Leishman & Timothy McLain

Authors
  1. John Macdonald
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  2. Robert Leishman
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  3. Randal Beard
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  4. Timothy McLain
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Correspondence to John Macdonald.

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Macdonald, J., Leishman, R., Beard, R. et al. Analysis of an Improved IMU-Based Observer for Multirotor Helicopters. J Intell Robot Syst 74, 1049–1061 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-013-9835-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10846-013-9835-5

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