Improving Gyroscope’s Noise Performance Using Multiple Accelerometers in a Closed-Loop Configuration

An inertial measurement unit (IMU) architecture is proposed by combining a set of accelerometers with a three-axis gyroscope, in closed-loop operation, to achieve superior accuracy and low noise estimation of the angular velocity by compensating for accelerometers’ bias and wandering. It advances the concept of gyroscope-free IMUs, which derive the angular velocity using multiple accelerometers in an open-loop configuration, by eliminating their constant drift errors due to accelerometers’ bias, enabling real-world applications. The stability of the proposed closed-loop system is studied analytically with sufficient conditions provided, and a closed-form expression of the angular velocity noise is derived. Both experimental and simulation results indicate that the proposed architecture excels in terms of accuracy and noise performance.