Multi-IMU System for Robust Inertial Navigation: Kalman Filters and Differential Evolution-Based Fault Detection and Isolation
Eslam Mounier, Malek Karaim, Michael J. Korenberg, Aboelmagd Noureldin
Abstract
The safety and reliability of various navigation applications are critically dependent on the integrity of sensor measurements. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) is a primary sensor in many navigation systems, yet is susceptible to diverse errors and faults, particularly with micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). To address these challenges, we propose a Kalman filter (KF)-based framework incorporating multiple redundant IMUs offering robust fault detection and isolation (FDI) capabilities in the context of inertial navigation. The primary contributions of this work include effective multi-IMU calibration and integration, a comprehensive FDI enabled by a bank of auxiliary KFs, and an optimal dual-objective function combined with the differential evolution (DE) algorithm for fault detection parameters optimization. The effectiveness of the introduced method was validated using real-world data from homogeneous MEMS IMUs during urban road tests. Through data augmentation, fault simulation, and parameter optimization experiments, an exceptional fault detection performance was demonstrated, with an <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${F}1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> score of 99.9%. Furthermore, our approach significantly enhanced inertial navigation accuracy, with position improvements of up to 78.4% in fault-free conditions compared to a single IMU and 64.5% in fault conditions compared to the standalone IMU fusion. These results confirm that the system can maintain an accurate and reliable navigation solution even in the presence of IMU sensor faults.