Multiconfiguration Kalman filter design for high-performance GPS navigation

This paper describes the design, implementation, and performance of a real-time multiconfiguration Kalman filter for high-performance Navstar global positioning system (GPS) navigation. The design provides extreme flexibility in order to operate with a wide variety of host sensors. It configures automatically (four filter configurations) based upon the host vehicle requirements and sensor availability, in order to process GPS measurements and provide the best estimate of the navigation states. Two new techniques, namely an unaided dead-reckoning Kalman filter implementation and an automatic inertial platform tilt estimation control scheme, are developed to improve the navigation accuracy, especially for high-dynamics applications. Performance results are presented to demonstrate the advantages of these techniques.