Generalized Nonlinear Complementary Attitude Filter

This work describes a family of attitude estimators that are based on a generalization of Mahony’s nonlinear complementary filter. This generalization reveals the close mathematical relationship between the nonlinear complementary filter and the more traditional multiplicative extended Kalman filter. In fact, the bias-free and constant gain multiplicative continuous-time extended Kalman filters may be interpreted as special cases of the generalized attitude estimator. The correspondence provides a rational means of choosing the gains for the nonlinear complementary filter and a proof of the near global asymptotic stability of special cases of the multiplicative extended Kalman filter.