Uncertainty in position measured with MEMS-type. Inertial Measurement Units

The aim of this work is to propose a framework for the estimation of uncertainty in position measured by a stand- alone six-degree-of-freedom MEMS-type IMU. More specifically, given the main sensor specifications, the dead-reckoning algorithm and a measurement task, the framework should be able to provide an estimate of the uncertainty in position that is consistent with the GUM.

First, we obtain the mathematical model of the measurement process, including the most relevant error characteristics and a DR algorithm. Then we present the framework for uncertainty estimation, which utilizes Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) at the stage of propagation of distributions. The classical GUM approach is not feasible in this case; thus, for assessing the consistency of the results, we use two application examples with real experimental data, involving two different commercial IMUs, distinct trajectories and with suitable reference measurements.