Improved state estimation in distorted magnetic fields

In this paper, we propose a method to address the performance loss or failure of state estimation and navigation frameworks caused by local magnetic distortions. The use of magnetometers on-board mobile platforms suffer from these issues if magnetic distortions are not detected and mitigated. The paper shows the importance of representing magnetic variation in a spherical coordinate system instead of Cartesian coordinates, which can improve estimator consistency and enable accurate and fast mitigation of magnetic disturbances. The approach is validated by performing tests with simulated and real-world data on embedded hardware. The proposed method has the potential to lead to better system state estimates in magnetically distorted areas.