Enhanced method for single‐antenna GPS‐based attitude determination

PurposeTo make the single‐antenna attitude method more useful as a back‐up or fault diagnostic system than was targeted originally.Design/methodology/approachThe enhancement incorporates information from the GPS satellite constellation and aircraft dynamic model. The visibility of GPS satellites affects the accuracy of the aircraft's volocity that is the main source of single‐antenna attitude. In addition, to use the aircraft dynamic model is natural because single‐antenna attitude is for exclusive use of aircraft. These are considered and implemented as a covariance matrix or process model of Kalman filters. The enhanced performances are verified by an aircraft nonlinear simulation.FindingsThe proposed method estimates more accurate volocity and unpiased single‐antenna attitude by using satellite constellation information and the aircraft dynamics. Moreover, the implemented system has a structure that combines other navigation sensors easily.Research limitations/implicationsIt would be more desirable to perform further researches; sensor integration, stability against wind disturbance, and aircraft model uncertainty, etc.Practical implicationsA useful attitude sensor for a back‐up attitude system at low cost on manned aircraft or a main attitude system on unmanned aircraft that are sensitive to the mass or size of payload.Originality/valueThis paper has been the first to promote the potential of single‐antenna attitude and with only information that can be easily obtained.