A New Multiple State Estimation Cooperative Positioning Method Based on MEMS/Underwater Acoustic Ranging for Multiple UUVs

In the traditional cooperative positioning scheme, navigation information is provided from the compass and doppler velocity log. These sensors are large and expensive. To meet the needs of low cost and miniaturization, a new cooperative positioning scheme based on Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS)/underwater acoustic ranging is designed in this paper, and a multiple state estimation cooperative positioning method based on ranging information is proposed. Specifically, MEMS is the main source of navigation information for follower underwater unmanned vehicle (UUV), and underwater acoustic ranging information is the constraint. Finally, the attitude, velocity, position of follower UUV in three directions as well as the three-axis gyro drift and the three-axis accelerometer bias of MEMS are estimated by utilizing the ranging information. The effectiveness of our scheme and methodology is thoroughly validated through simulations and experiments. Importantly, our proposed method demonstrates a significant improvement in positioning accuracy, outperforming the traditional approach by an impressive 68.75%. This remarkable enhancement highlights the efficacy and reliability of our innovative solution.