A high accuracy magnetic heading system composed of fluxgate magnetometers and a microcomputer

Author

Liu, Sheng-wu ; Zhang, Zhao-nian ; Hung, James C.

Author_Institution

Autom. Control Dept., Northwestern Polytechnic. Univ., Xian, China

fYear

1989

fDate

22-26 May 1989

Firstpage

148

Abstract

The authors present a magnetic heading system consisting of two fluxgate magnetometers and a single-chip microcomputer. The system, when compared to gyro compasses, is smaller in size, lighter in weight, simpler in construction, quicker in reaction time, free from drift, and more reliable. Using a microcomputer in the system, heading error due to compass deviation, sensor offsets. scale factor uncertainty, and sensor tilts can be compensated with the help of an error model. The laboratory test of a typical system showed that the accuracy of the system was improved from more than 8° error without error compensation to less than 0.3° error with compensation

Keywords

compasses; computerised instrumentation; error compensation; magnetometers; microcomputer applications; navigation; compass deviation; error compensation; fluxgate magnetometers; heading error; magnetic heading system; navigation; scale factor uncertainty; sensor offsets; sensor tilts; single-chip microcomputer; Automatic control; Error analysis; Instruments; Magnetic field measurement; Magnetic sensors; Magnetometers; Microcomputers; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Sensor systems; Vehicles;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Aerospace and Electronics Conference, 1989. NAECON 1989., Proceedings of the IEEE 1989 National

Conference_Location

Dayton, OH

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/NAECON.1989.40205

Filename

40205