Accurate attitude estimation of HB2 standard model based on QNCF in hypersonic wind tunnel test

Abstract The accuracy of the HB2 standard model attitude measurement has an important impact on the hypersonic wind tunnel data assessment. The limited size of the model and the existence of external vibrations make it challenging to obtain real-time reliable attitude measurement. To reduce the influence of attitude errors on test results, this paper proposes a Quaternion Nonlinear Complementary Filter (QNCF) attitude determination algorithm based on Microelectromechanical Inertial Measurement Unit (MEMS-IMU). Firstly, the threshold-based PI control strategy is adopted to eliminate noise effect according to the Acceleration Magnitude Detector (AMD). Then, the flexible quaternion method is updated to carry out attitude estimation which is operational and easy to be embedded in the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Finally, a high-precision three-axis turntable test and a hypersonic wind tunnel test are performed. The results show that the pitch-roll attitude errors are within 0.05° and 0.08° in the high-precision three-axis turntable test in a calculation time of 100 s respectively, and the attitude error is within 0.3° after the elastic angle correction in the hypersonic wind tunnel test. The proposed method can provide accurate real-time attitude reference for the analysis of the actual movement of the model, exhibiting certain engineering application value with robustness and simplicity.