Author(s)

Dimin Wu, Zhengzhi Wang

Institute of Automation, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha, China..

The rigid body motion can be represented by a motor in geometric algebra, and the motor can be rewritten as a trinometric function of the screw blade. In this paper, a screw blade strapdown inertial navigation system (SDINS) algorithm is developed. The trigonometric function form of the motor is derived and utilized to deduce the Bortz equation of the screw blade. The screw blade SDINS algorithm is proposed by using the procedure similar to that of the conventional rotation vector attitude updating algorithm. The superiority of the screw blade algorithm over the conventional ones in precision is analyzed. Simulation results reveal that the screw blade algorithm is more suitable for the high-pre- cision SDINS than the conventional ones.

Inertial Navigation; Geometric Algebra; Screw Blade; Bortz Equation

D. Wu and Z. Wang, "Strapdown Navigation Using Geometric Algebra: Screw Blade Algorithm," Positioning, Vol. 3 No. 2, 2012, pp. 13-20. doi: 10.4236/pos.2012.32003.