Using fuzzy logic in low cost microcontroller to increase accelerometer performances

Abstract

In recent years, navigation systems have appeared in a wide range of applications (automotive, aviation, robots...). Most of them embed the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is still expensive, sensitive to electronic interference and not efficient for indoor areas. An absolute positioning system (Dead-Reckoning) is preferable in these situations. On the other hand, low cost inertial sensors (MEMS) are now available. They provide kinetic information (acceleration, rotation speed...) but are not accurate enough for direct use in navigation applications. This paper explains how to use smart processing, fuzzy-logic based, in order to accurately estimate a linear position with an accelerometer. Experimental results show the efficiency of this algorithm computed in real time in an AT91SAM7S64 microcontroller.