An Adaptive Zero-Velocity Interval Detector Using Instep-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit

The zero-velocity update (ZUPT) technique plays a key role in foot-mounted inertial navigation system, which can minimize the drift errors of low-cost inertial measurement unit (IMU) by resetting the velocity to zero when the foot is stationary. However, it is difficult to detect the zero-velocity interval (ZVI) in mixed locomotion patterns. This article presents a novel ZVI detector based on adaptive simulated energy consumption (SEC) curve. It can identify the ZVIs of various locomotion patterns, such as normal walking, fast walking, running, going upstairs, and downstairs. The SEC curve is generated based on the signal processing approach using the interlaced peak property of the IMU-measured angular rate and acceleration waveforms. Another benefit of the proposed method is that the IMU can be mounted on the instep without restrictions of orientation and position, which improves flexibility and convenience. Experiment results show that the proposed algorithm performs better than three other widely used methods in mixed gait patterns.