How to develop navigation sensor solutions for drones

It consists of everything from basic download and debug to reference implementations of loosely-coupled GPS/INS. Third is a full Developer Site and tools with charting, graphing and even algorithm simulation.

“OpenIMU enables advanced, easy-to-deploy localisation and navigation algorithm solutions for a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods. OpenIMU's combination of open-source software and low-cost hardware enables rapid development of advanced solutions for drones, robotics, and autonomous applications,” explained Mike Horton, CTO of ACEINNA. “OpenIMU is a first of its kind, professionally supported, open-source GPS/GNSS-aided inertial navigation software stack for low-cost precise navigation applications.”

The OpenIMU Development hardware development kit includes JTAG-pod, precision mount fixture, EVB, and an OpenIMU300 module. The OpenIMU module features ACEINNA’s 5 deg/Hr, 9-Axis gyro, accelerometer, and magnetometer sensor suite with an onboard 180MHz ARM Coretex floating-point CPU. The IMU is delivered in a small (24x37x9.5mm), easy to integrate module that operates from 2.7-5.5VDC.

This freely downloadable stack includes:

• FreeRTOS-based data collection and sampling engine.
• Performance-tuned, real-time, navigation-grade GPS/INS Kalman Filter library.
• Free IDE/compiler tool chain based on Visual Studio Code.
• JTAG debugging for debugging code loaded on IMU.
• Data logging, graphing, Allen Variance plots, and maps.
• Extensive documentation.
• Robust simulation environment with advanced sensor error models.