Performance Enhancement of Consumer-Grade MEMS Sensors through Geometrical Redundancy

• Published in: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Switzerland), 2021-07, Vol.21 (14), p.4851
• Main Authors: de Alteriis, Giorgio, Accardo, Domenico, Conte, Claudia, Schiano Lo Moriello, Rosario
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: accelerometer; Accelerometers; Accuracy; Aircraft; Allan variance; Attitude stability; Bias; Calibration; GNSS/INS; gyroscope; inertial measurement unit; inertial navigation systems; Inertial platforms; Internet of Things; Low cost; Mechanical systems; Microelectromechanical systems; Random walk; Sensors; Standard deviation
• ISSN: 1424-8220; 1424-8220
• DOI: 10.3390/s21144851

The paper deals with performance enhancement of low-cost, consumer-grade inertial sensors realized by means of Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology. Focusing their attention on the reduction of bias instability and random walk-driven drift of cost-effective MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes, the authors hereinafter propose a suitable method, based on a redundant configuration and complemented with a proper measurement procedure, to improve the performance of low-cost, consumer-grade MEMS sensors. The performance of the method is assessed by means of an adequate prototype and compared with that assured by a commercial, expensive, tactical-grade MEMS inertial measurement unit, taken as reference. Obtained results highlight the promising reliability and efficacy of the method in estimating position, velocity, and attitude of vehicles; in particular, bias instability and random walk reduction greater than 25% is, in fact, experienced. Moreover, differences as low as 0.025 rad and 0.89 m are obtained when comparing position and attitude estimates provided by the prototype and those granted by the tactical-grade MEMS IMU.