Optimal aided inertial navigation, augmented with inter-sensors self-calibration

The proposed work is in the framework of the V-Fides project, in which is a general purpose, 3000m depth rated underwater vehicle with highly maneuverability capabilities was developed. The project was co-funded by Tuscany Region (Italy) and developed by a team lead by WASS S.p.A. (Whitehead Sistemi Subacquei, Livorno) with the participation of several partners including two research institutions of the University of Pisa and Small-Medium Enterprises in the Pisa-Livorno area. The vehicle is equipped with a sensors payload for autonomous navigation. This contribution describes an integrated calibration/navigation filter capable of estimating the relative (rotational) calibration parameters between the IMU and the DVL, and producing the standard velocity and attitude navigation output together with accelerometers biases. The results were demonstrated with real data sets collected during extensive experimental campaigns. Finally the observability analysis is proposed in order to define the motion requirements for the asymptotic convergence of the parameter estimates.