A modified Attitude Determination Algorithm using low-cost sensors

According to the specific application of the Micro Air Vehicle (MAV), a modified Attitude Determination Algorithm is proposed. The presented system consists of a three-axis magnetometer, a three-axis accelerometer and a single-antenna Global Position Systems (GPS) receiver. Firstly, the earth´s magnetic and specific force in the body and navigation frame is employed to establish the attitude quaternion. Subsequently, in order to improve performance, a standard linear measurement equation and a state equation about quaternion error is developed for Extend Kalman Filter (EKF). Finally, the proposed algorithm is verified by simulation using data collected from the low-cost sensors. The performance of the suggested algorithm is shown to have significantly restrained the estimation errors.