Performance investigation of barometer aided GPS/MEMS-IMU integration

The integration of inertial sensors is a widely-adopted method for covering GPS outages. However, the position accuracy in vertical direction is often challenged in comparison with the one in the horizontal plane. This paper explores the possibility of using MEMS barometer as an augmentation in the GPS/INS integration in land application. A prototype system, composed of a commercial GPS receiver with low-cost MEMS IMU and barometer on a DSP platform, is implemented and described. In addition, the initial investigation of the MEMS barometer is addressed. With the field experiment data collected from a car-driving test in a hilly region, the benefit of barometer aiding is demonstrated.