Geomagnetic gradient bionic navigation based on the parallel approaching method

The priori geomagnetic map, which is difficult to obtain in practice, has a great effect on geomagnetic-aided navigation. In this paper, we propose a geomagnetic gradient bionic navigation method based on parallel approaching without a reference map. From the viewpoint of bionics, an objective function is developed to describe the convergence of geomagnetic navigation. According to the parallel approaching method, the radio equation of geomagnetic variation is proposed, and the heading angle is obtained by the least squares approximation method with geomagnetic gradient data. Simulation results show the proposed approach is able to navigate effectively without a magnetic priori map. Several experiments on different geomagnetic parameters are discussed, and a recommended method of parameter selection is presented. Our approach is also compared with the evolution method, and results in a more smoother and direct navigation path to the destination.