Dedicated Calculation Strategy for Atom Interferometry Sensors in Inertial Navigation

This paper examines two specific possibilities to use the measurement of a cold atom interferometer (CAI) sensor in Mach-Zehnder configuration in a navigation solution, both in combination with a conventional IMU. A loosely coupled option within the solution of the Bortz equation is discussed, as well as a deeper integrated combination within an error state Kalman filter framework. In the latter, the conventional IMU can be used to solve the ambiguity problem of the cold atom interferometer (CAI), while the CAI corrects systematic IMU errors and reduces the uncertainty of the navigation solutions position and velocity estimate.