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.