Signal conditioning algorithms on accelerometers in an Inertial Navigation System (INS)

Localization of an unmanned vehicle, locating it in a three-dimensional space and identifying its acceleration, velocity, position and orientation accurately is a very challenging and demanding task. One of the most common systems used for localization is an Inertial Navigation System, which uses accelerometers and gyroscopes to determine position and orientation of the body in three-dimensional space. Accelerometers used in an Inertial Motion Unit (IMU) are very sensitive and susceptible to noise due to vibrations and shocks. This paper displays observations from the analysis of the various signal processing algorithms used to extract position and velocity from an accelerometer. This paper aims to enhance reliability and accuracy and overcome drawbacks of accelerometers in an inertial navigation system.