A Novel Robust Step Detection Algorithm for Foot-Mounted IMU

Step detection is very important for the foot-mounted Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) system. To deal with the false detection caused by variant stepping modes and occasional disturbance, a novel robust step detection algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm detects the number of steps and zero-velocity phase using data from inertial sensors mounted on the user's foot. It includes two parts: a novel anti-fault detection algorithm and a novel zero-velocity detection method, which are used to reduce the over-detection and miss-detection of steps, respectively. Field tests show that the proposed approach is robust under varying motion speeds in different step modes for different persons and the average accuracy of the proposed algorithm is 99.94% in all motion modes, which significantly exceeds conventional estimation approaches in terms of step detection accuracy.

Automated summary

A novel robust step detection algorithm is proposed to deal with false detection caused by different stepping modes and occasional disturbances. The algorithm includes an anti-fault detection algorithm and a zero-velocity detection method to reduce over-detection and miss-detection of steps. Field tests show that the approach is robust across varying motion speeds in different step modes, with an average accuracy of 99.94%, significantly exceeding conventional estimation approaches.