Receiver-channel based adaptive blind equalization approach for GPS dynamic multipath mitigation

Aiming at mitigating multipath effect in dynamic global positioning system (GPS) satellite navigation applications, an approach based on channel blind equalization and real-time recursive least square (RLS) algorithm is proposed, which is an application of the wireless communication channel equalization theory to GPS receiver tracking loops. The blind equalization mechanism builds upon the detection of the correlation distortion due to multipath channels; therefore an increase in the number of correlator channels is required compared with conventional GPS receivers. An adaptive estimator based on the real-time RLS algorithm is designed for dynamic estimation of multipath channel response. Then, the code and carrier phase receiver tracking errors are compensated by removing the estimated multipath components from the correlators’ outputs. To demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed approach, this technique is integrated into a GPS software receiver connected to a navigation satellite signal simulator, thus simulations under controlled dynamic multipath scenarios can be carried out. Simulation results show that in a dynamic and fairly severe multipath environment, the proposed approach achieves simultaneously instantaneous accurate multipath channel estimation and significant multipath tracking errors reduction in both code delay and carrier phase.     

Urban area performance of GPS receiver with simultrac capability

The theory of operation, practical applications, and technical performance of a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver designed for urban area use are presented. The receiver tracks as many as eight satellites, or all visible satellites, and uses the signals of the four best satellites to ascertain its location. If visibility of one satellite is blocked, one of the additional satellites can be used to provide continuous navigation. Component-level system design choices are shown to support superior automotive vehicle location performance, including optimum mobile communication with satellites and ground-based relays     

INMARSAT integrity channels for global navigation satellite systems

The transmission of integrity information using a signal format compatible with the Global Positioning System (GPS) and relayed through a geostationary satellite repeater, which will be critical in achieving high integrity and availability of global navigation by satellite is discussed. The inclusion of navigation repeaters designed to fulfil this function, the next generation of INMARSAT spacecraft, INMARSAT-3 is examined. The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) integrity channel (GIC) will employ pseudorandom codes in the same family as, but distinct from, the codes reserved by GPS. The data format of the basic integrity channel is designed to convey user range error information for 24 to 40 satellites. A closed-loop timing compensation technique will be used at the uplinking Earth station, to make the signal's clock and carrier Doppler variations identical to those that would result from an onboard signal source. Therefore, the INMARSAT-3 satellites will increase the number of useful navigation satellites available to any user, and can also function as sources of precise timing. There is also a possibility that wide area differential corrections can be carried on the same signal     

GNSS receiver for GLONASS signal reception

This paper deals with the latest version of Experimental GNSS receiver built at the Czech Technical University and describes integration of GLONASS signal processing to the receiver. The new FPGA platform Virtex-D Pro by Xilinx is used and enables integration of whole digital signal processing of GNSS receiver into the single chip. The RE unit of the receiver is capable of processing all GLONASS frequency of the Li and L2 bands in two independent RE channels; each channel can process one band. The frequency selection of the appropriate satellite is accomplished in a digital correlator. The development flow of the GLONASS correlator is discussed herein. The complexity of the GLONASS correlator with complexity of GPS correlator is compared. The developed GLONASS correlator was tested in Simuelink tool during development. The next test was carried out using GLONASS simulator and real GLONASS satellite signal.     

Spaceborne GPS receiver antenna phase center offset and variation estimation for the Shiyan 3 satellite

In determining the orbits of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites using spaceborne GPS, the errors caused by receiver antenna phase center offset (PCO) and phase center variations (PCVs) are gradually becoming a major limiting factor for continued improvements to accuracy. Shiyan 3, a small satellite mission for space technology experimentation and climate exploration, was developed by China and launched on November 5, 2008. The dual-frequency GPS receiver payload delivers 1 Hz data and provides the basis for precise orbit determination within the range of a few centime-ters. The antenna PCO and PCV error characteristics and the principles influencing orbit determi-nation are analyzed. The feasibility of PCO and PCV estimation and compensation in different directions is demonstrated through simulation and in-flight tests. The values of receiver antenna PCO and PCVs for Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and Shiyan 3 satellites are estimated from one month of data. A large and stable antenna PCO error, reaching up to 10.34 cm in the z-direction, is found with the Shiyan 3 satellite. The PCVs on the Shiyan 3 satellite are estimated and reach up to 3.0 cm, which is slightly larger than that of GRACE satellites. Orbit validation clearly improved with independent k-band ranging (KBR) and satellite laser ranging (SLR) measurements. For GRACE satellites, the average root mean square (RMS) of KBR resid-uals improved from 1.01 cm to 0.88 cm. For the Shiyan 3 satellite, the average RMS of SLR resid-uals improved from 4.95 cm to 4.06 cm.     

INS辅助GPS接收机及抗干扰能力的分析

针对高动态或低信噪比条件下GPS卫星信号容易失锁的特点,根据GPS接收机码／载波跟踪环特性,研究分析了惯性导航（INS）辅助GPS接收机原理及其抗干扰能力。在复杂电磁环境下,INS辅助GPS接收机（特别是紧耦合GPS/INS组合模式）是组合导航的发展方向。     

Preliminary Evaluation of GPS Performance for Low-Cost General Aviation

Preliminary results of a simulation effort to evaluate the requirements and feasibility of the global positioning system (GPS) as a civil air navigation system are presented. Evaluation is made of GPS requirements, from operational considerations, such as application to nonprecision approaches. The conceptual low-cost GPS receiver simulated here does not correct for the ionospheric or trophospheric delay, is sequential in nature, tracks only four satellites, and is not mechanized to make independent range rate measurements based on the Doppler shift of the GPS carrier frequency. The proposed GPS system has significantly different performance characteristics from the presently used VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) solidus distance-measuring equipment (DME) system. The GPS is a low signal level system and many have a relatively slow data rate due to the low-cost sequential receiver design. The results indicate that although the conceptual low-cost GPS receiver/ navigator is potentially more accurate than a VOR, the accuracy may degrade during aircraft turns and satellite shielding periods.     

基于I、Q信号的北斗接收机跟踪环路设计

传统的北斗接收机一般采用标量跟踪环,每个通道的卫星相互独立,在此 基础上,又发展起来了基于矢量跟踪的接收机,使每个通道的卫星跟踪不再相互独立。 提出的基于I、Q 信号观测的接收机跟踪环路,保留矢量跟踪的特点,并且采用EKF 作 为跟踪环路预处理滤波器,代替传统跟踪环路的鉴别器,可以在高动态的环境下对卫星 信号进行跟踪,提高环路的稳定性,从而可以有效地提高BDS/INS 深组合导航滤波器观 测量的估计精度。主要对高动态信号跟踪进行仿真,并与传统的标量跟踪方法和矢量跟 踪方法的跟踪能力进行比较。实验表明, 改进的矢量跟踪环能够在高动态的环境下运 行,比起传统环路有更小的跟踪误差。     

An evaluation of the radio frequency susceptibility of commercialGPS receivers

The radio frequency (RF) susceptibility characteristics of two commercial Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers were evaluated. A first-order analysis was performed to predict the receiver susceptibility thresholds based on the receiver sensitivity and processing gain. The receiver susceptibility thresholds in the post-acquisition mode were then measured for various interference signal frequencies and modulations. Both receivers exhibited very low susceptibility thresholds to in-band continuous wave (CW) signals. In addition, both receivers could be over-driven with an out-of-band signal. In this state the receivers indicated acceptable figures of merit despite loss of satellite signal lock     

钟滑动辅助GNSS定位算法研究

针对GNSS卫星星座几何形状不好或者观测卫星数量不足,无法为导航解算和自主完好性监测提供足够观测量的问题,提出采用GNSS接收机时钟观测值进行辅助定位,提高定位精度,实现自主完好性监测。通过对接收机时钟建模,引入本地钟的钟差方程、辅助接收机观测方程,从而建立了一套完整的钟滑动辅助定位算法。通过对采集的真实数据作计算机仿真,证明了该算法的可行性和有效性。结果表明,在卫星星座几何形状较差或者某颗卫星出现故障时,利用钟差辅助算法能够有效地排除故障星,得到较好的定位结果。     

Effects of ionospheric scintillation on differential demodulation of GPS data

Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers that must operate under fading propagation conditions can use differential phase-shift keying (DPSK) and reference bits to reliably demodulate GPS data. The demodulation performance of such receivers is analyzed for nonfading and Rayleigh fading channels. Theoretical results derived here are compared with measured error rates taken during scintillation testing of a prototype GPS/DPSK receiver.     

Galileo AltBOC signal multiresolution acquisition strategy

Herein, some critical aspects related to the acquisition of the future Galileo signals are discussed. In particular, the Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AItBOC) modulation that will be used by the Galileo satellites to broadcast navigation signals on the E5 band is considered, addressing acquisition issues only partially analyzed in previous works. The implementation of an acquisition section for the AltBOC signals is not straightforward, since several different receiver architectures can be used and remarkable differences are required with respect to the conventional signal processing used in GPS receivers. The main problems that must be handled (risk of false lock, resolution of the search space, and computational burden) are outlined in the following. An innovative technique, called multiresolution acquisition and tailored to the AltBOC signals, is then proposed as an effective solution to previous problems. As demonstrated by means of simulations, this novel strategy can be successfully used in coherent dual-band AltBOC receiver architectures with a feasible implementation complexity and it leads to remarkable advantages in terms of acquisition time.     

GPS软件接收机的捕获与跟踪算法

研究了GPS软件接收机的捕获与跟踪算法。分析了时域串行滑动相关捕获算法和频域基于FFT的并行相关捕获算法,设计了适合GPS软件接收机的并行算法,实现了对空中可见卫星的捕获。针对GPS信号的特点,设计了基于DLL与PLL相结合方法的GPS跟踪算法。利用实测中频信号对上述捕获与跟踪算法进行了验证分析,测试结果表明,基于FFT的并行相关捕获算法能够有效增强软件接收机的捕获能力,采用DLL与PLL相结合的方法能够实现对GPS信号的有效跟踪。     

Variability of GPS satellite differential group delay biases

An important issue in determining the accuracy of global positioning system (GPS) satellite ionospheric measurements is the instrumental delay biases between the L-band frequencies in both the satellites and the receivers. These differential L1-L2 biases must be measured and removed from the GPS measurements before an accurate estimate of the total electron content can be obtained. The results from the measurements indicate that the day-to-day variations of the satellite differential biases are quite well over a five-week time span, with a variation of less than 0.3-ns differential delay (one sigma). A follow-up experiment conducted two years later showed that the satellite biases had not changed significantly over this longer time span. When the prelaunch calibration values are compared with the experimental bias estimates, two of the four satellite pairs show excellent agreement and two differ significantly, indicating that prelaunch calibrations should be used with caution.<>     

I: PRECISE ORBIT DETERMINATION AND GRAVITY FIELD MODELLING: Strategies for Precise Orbit Determination of Low Earth Orbiters Using the GPS

Considerable experience accumulated during the past decade in strategies for processing GPS data from ground-based geodetic receivers. First experience on the use of GPS observations from spaceborne receivers for orbit determination of satellites on low altitude orbits was gained with the launch of TOPEX/POSEIDON ten years ago. The launch of the CHAMP satellite in July 2000 stimulated a number of activities worldwide on improving the strategies and algorithms for orbit determination for Low Earth Orbiters (LEOs) using the GPS. Similar strategies as for ground-based receivers are applied to data from spaceborne GPS receivers to determine high precision orbits. Zero- and double-differencing techniques are applied to obtain kinematic and/or reduced-dynamic orbits with an accuracy which is today at the decimeter level. Further developments in modeling and processing strategies will continuously improve the quality of GPS-derived LEO orbits in the near future. A significant improvement can be expected from fixing double-difference phase ambiguities to integer numbers. Particular studies focus on the impact of a combined processing of LEO and GPS orbits on the quality of orbits and the reference frame realization. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Blind GPS receiver with a modified despreader for interference suppression

The global positioning system (GPS) was designed to provide location estimates for various civilian and military applications using at least four satellites. Since GPS signals have a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), they also have a low signal-to-jammer ratio so that the accuracy of location estimates is influenced by cochannel interference and intentional jammers. We propose a low-complexity blind adaptive receiver that is based on a novel modified despreader and the constant modulus (CM) array. This system is capable of ing directional interference and capturing the GPS signal of interest without requiring explicit angle-of-arrival (AOA) information. We also consider the multiple satellite problem and extend the proposed receiver to capture several GPS signals of interest. Representative computer simulation examples are presented to illustrate the performance of the multicomponent system for the suppression of different jammer types.     

Position-fixing using the USSR's GLONASS C/A code

The possibility of the USSR's global satellite navigation system GLONASS and the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System using a common navigation system can only be determined following exhaustive testing of two systems in a variety of satellite and receiver modes and configurations. The authors describe their first attempts to carry out basic position-fixing and timing measurements with a single-channel, sequencing digital receiver in a C/A code phase-measurement mode using the GLONASS satellites. The receiver used to produce the fixes was a digital sequencing unit with a single stage of downconversion and followed by 1-bit quantization. Code acquisition was accomplished using 1-Q channels measuring code phase. The number of satellites available in the present preoperational phase heavily restricts the time and satellite configurations which can be tested. However, the results have encouraged the authors to propose a range of experiments aimed at evaluating the two systems and eventual integration     

双卫星故障条件下的RAIM可用性研究

现有的关于接收机自主完好性监测（RAIM）算法大部分是基于单颗卫星故障的假设,但随着GPS技术的发展,多颗卫星发生故障的可能性已不能再被忽视,特别是两颗卫星同时发生故障的情况。本研究基于对水平定位误差保护级（HPL）的分析,从一颗卫星故障的可用性出发,推导出两颗卫星故障时的可用性。率先给出了在两颗卫星故障的情况下,天津区域内RAIM算法的可用性。仿真结果表明：两颗卫星故障的可用性低于单颗卫星故障的可用性。     

GPS Program Status

The Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) Program is composed of three segments ? Space, Control, and User Equipment. The Space segment is responsible for the development and launch of the GPS satellite constellation. The Control segment is responsible for monitoring the satellite telemetry and providing updated navigation information to the satellites. The User Equipment (UE) segment is responsible for the development and procurement of the GPS receivers for a variety of host vehicle platforms. Recently, approval was given to the User segment to enter Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP). This approval marks the beginning of Phase III (production and deployment) of the GPS program. This paper will discuss the overall status of all three segments with an emphasis on the User Equipment segment as it enters the production phase of the program.     

适用于矢量接收机的模糊自适应CKF方法研究

卫星导航接收机矢量跟踪环路的核心就是用一个Kalman滤波器将标量接收机的信号跟踪和导航解算一起完成,优点是能够形成通道之间的相互辅助,缺点是也会相互影响。尤其在部分卫星信号被遮挡或者部分通道信号质量较差的环境下,问题通道会影响其他通道,甚至导致矢量跟踪环路滤波器发散,常规的方法是检测故障通道然后将故障通道剔除,这样需要对导航滤波器进行变维操作。针对此问题,提出了一种新的消除问题通道对其他通道影响的方法,同时不需要对导航滤波器进行变维。首先给出了一种标度因子,用来判断通道是否存在故障通道,然后给出一种利用模糊控制的导航滤波器自适应调整方法。仿真表明,在通道卫星信号被频繁遮挡的极端情况,矢量接收机依旧能保持正常的导航精度,并没有明显受到误差通道的影响,同时避免了对导航滤波器进行变维操作。