UAV Attitude, Heading, and Wind Estimation Using GPS/INS and an Air Data System

A new attitude, heading, and wind estimation algorithm is proposed, which incorporates measurements from an air data system to properly relate predicted attitude information with aircraft velocity information. Experimental Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flight data was used to validate the proposed approach. The experimental results demonstrated effective estimation of the roll, pitch, yaw, and heading angles, and provided a smoothed estimate of the angle of attack and sideslip angles. The wind estimation results were validated with respect to measurments provided by a local weather station. It was shown that this new method of attitude estimation is effective in distinguishing the yaw and heading angles of the aircraft, properly regulating the attitude estimates with air data system measurements, and provding a reasonable estimate of the local wind field.

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