Development of a GNSS Based High Accuracy Measurement System to Support Vehicle Dynamics Testing

Abstract

The article presents the development of a low-budget positioning device that aims to provide an alternative in self-driving vehicle development research that could replace costly, commercially available devices. In addition to being financially advantageous, it has the added benefit of allowing students to be involved in development. The primary function of the device is the sensor fusion, which outputs position, velocity, and orientation estimation based on data provided by Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). High-frequency estimates are generated by running an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on a microcontroller in an embedded environment. During the work, new challenges arose several times that required solutions. For example, delays due to the operation of GNSS receivers, which the estimation algorithm must compensate, and proper calibration of the sensors for the measurement vehicle. In addition to the software, the development of the tool includes the complete design, manufacture, and testing of the hardware, which allows testing the completed software units not only in a simulation but also in a real environment. During testing, the output of the developed device was compared several times with commercially available hardware for similar purposes.