Real-time clock comparison and monitoring with multi-GNSS precise point positioning: GPS,GLONASS and Galileo

The precise point positioning (PPP) technique is widely used in time and frequency applications. Because of the real-time service (RTS) project of the International GNSS Service, we can use the PPP technique for real-time clock comparison and monitoring. As a participant in the RTS, the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) implements the PPPWIZARD (Precise Point Positioning with Integer and Zero-difference Ambiguity Resolution Demonstrator) project to validate carrier phase ambiguity resolution. Unlike the Integer-PPP (IPPP) of the CNES, fixing ambiguities in the post-processing mode, the PPPWIZARD operates in the real-time mode, which is also called real-time IPPP (RT-IPPP). This paper focuses on applying the RT-IPPP for real-time clock comparison and monitoring. We review the principle of real-time clock comparison and monitoring, and introduce the methodology of the RT-IPPP technique. The observations of GPS, GLONASS and Galileo were processed for the experiments. Five processing modes were provided in the experiment to analyze the benefits of ambiguity resolution and multi-GNSS. In the clock comparison experiment, the average reduction ratios of standard deviations with respect to the G PPP mode range from 9.7% to 35.0%. In the clock monitoring experiment, G PPP mode can detect clock jumps whose magnitudes are larger than 0.9 ns. The RT-IPPP technique with GRE PPP AR (G) mode allows for the detection of any clock jumps larger than 0.6 ns. For frequency monitoring, G PPP mode allows detection of frequency changes larger than 1.1 × 10⁻¹⁴. When the RT-IPPP technique is applied, monitoring with GRE PPP AR (G) mode can detect frequency changes larger than 6.1 × 10⁻¹⁵.     

A novel framework for liquid propellant engine’s cooling system design by sensitivity analysis based on RSM and multi-objective optimization using PSO

One of the challenges of combustion chamber and nozzle design in a Liquid Propellant Engine (LPE) is to predict the behavior and performance of the cooling system. Therefore, while designing, the optimization of the cooling system is always of great importance. This paper presents the multi-objective optimization of the LPE’s cooling system. To this end, a novel framework has been developed, resulting from the application of the Response Surface Method (RSM) and the correlation coefficients matrix, sensitivity analysis and the The Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). based on this method, the input variables, constraints, objective functions, and their surfaces were identified. In terms of multi-optimization algorithms, RSM and PSO are utilized to get global optimum. In conclusion, the methodology capability is to optimize the LPE’s cooling system, 6 percentage increase in total heat transfer and 7 bar decrease cooling system pressure loss, which resulted in a 1.2-seconds increase in the specific impulse of the engine.     

A comparative study of ionospheric IRIEup and ISP assimilative models during some intense and severe geomagnetic storms

Three-dimensional (3-D) electron density matrices, computed in the Mediterranean area by the IRI climatological model and IRIEup and ISP nowcasting models, during some intense and severe geomagnetic-ionospheric storms, were ingested by the ray tracing software tool IONORT, to synthesize quasi-vertical ionograms. IRIEup model was run in different operational modes: (1) assimilating validated autoscaled electron density profiles only from a limited area which, in our case, is the Mediterranean sector (IRIEup_re(V) mode); (2) assimilating electron density profiles from a larger region including several stations spread across Europe: (a) without taking care of validating the autoscaled data in the assimilation process (IRIEup(NV)); (b) validating carefully the autoscaled electron density profiles before their assimilation (IRIEup(V)).The comparative analysis was carried out comparing IRI, IRIEup_re(V), ISP, IRIEup(NV), and IRIEup(V) foF2 synthesized values, with corresponding foF2 measurements autoscaled by ARTIST, and then validated, at the truth sites of Roquetes (40.80°N, 0.50°E, Spain), San Vito (40.60°N, 17.80°E, Italy), Athens (38.00°N, 23.50°E, Greece), and Nicosia, (35.03°N, 33.16°E, Cyprus). The outcomes demonstrate that: (1) IRIEup_re(V), performs better than ISP in the western Mediterranean (around Roquetes); (2) ISP performs slightly better than IRIEup_re(V) in the central part of Mediterranean (around Athens and San Vito); (3) ISP performance is better than the IRIEup_re(V) one in the eastern Mediterranean (around Nicosia); (4) IRIEup(NV) performance is worse than the IRIEup(V) one; (5) in the central Mediterranean area, IRIEup(V) performance is better than the IRIEup_re(V) one, and it is practically the same for the western and eastern sectors.Concerning the overall performance, nowcasting models proved to be considerably more reliable than the climatological IRI model to represent the ionosphere behaviour during geomagnetic-ionospheric storm conditions; ISP and IRIEup(V) provided the best performance, but neither of them has clearly prevailed over the other one.     

Distributed intelligent self-organized mission planning of multi-UAV for dynamic targets cooperative search-attack

This article studies the cooperative search-attack mission problem with dynamic targets and threats, and presents a Distributed Intelligent Self-Organized Mission Planning (DISOMP) algorithm for multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (multi-UAV). The DISOMP algorithm can be divided into four modules: a search module designed based on the distributed Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm, an attack module designed based on the Parallel Approach (PA) scheme, a threat avoidance module designed based on the Dubins Curve (DC) and a communication module designed for information exchange among the multi-UAV system and the dynamic environment. A series of simulations of multi-UAV searching and attacking the moving targets are carried out, in which the search-attack mission completeness, execution efficiency and system suitability of the DISOMP algorithm are analyzed. The simulation results exhibit that the DISOMP algorithm based on online distributed down-top strategy is characterized by good flexibility, scalability and adaptability, in the dynamic targets searching and attacking problem.     

Direction finding for two-dimensional incoherently distributed sources with Hadamard shift invariance in non-uniform orthogonal arrays

This paper proposes a novel algorithm for Two-Dimensional (2D) central Direction-of-Arrival (DOA) estimation of incoherently distributed sources. In particular, an orthogonal array structure consisting of two Non-uniform Linear Arrays (NLAs) is considered. Based on first-order Taylor series approximation, the Generalized Array Manifold (GAM) model can first be established to separate the central DOAs from the original array manifold. Then, the Hadamard rotational invariance relationships inside the GAMs of two NLAs are identified. With the aid of such relationships, the central elevation and azimuth DOAs can be estimated through a search-free polynomial rooting method. Additionally, a simple parameter pairing of the estimated 2D angular parameters is also accomplished via the Hadamard rotational invariance relationship inside the GAM of the whole array. A secondary but important result is a derivation of closed-form expressions of the Cramer-Rao lower bound. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve a remarkably higher precision at less complexity increment compared with the existing low-complexity methods, which benefits from the larger array aperture of the NLAs. Moreover, it requires no priori information about the angular distributed function.     

L-band nighttime scintillations at the northern edge of the EIA along 95°E during the ascending half of the solar cycle 24

The characteristics of nighttime ionospheric scintillations measured at the L-band frequency of 1.575 GHz over Dibrugarh (27.5°N, 95°E, MLAT ～ 17°N, 43° dip) during the ascending half of the solar cycle 24 from 2010 to 2014 have been investigated and the results are presented in this paper. The measurement location is within or outside the zone of influence of the equatorial ionization anomaly depending on solar and geomagnetic activity. Maximum scintillation is observed in the equinoxes irrespective of solar activity with clear asymmetry between March and September. The occurrence frequency in the solstices shifts from minimum in the June solstice in low solar activity to a minimum in the December solstice in high solar activity years. A significant positive correlation of occurrence of scintillations in the June solstice with solar activity has been observed. However, earlier reports from the Indian zone (～75°E) indicate negative or no correlation of scintillation in June solstice with solar activity. Scintillations activity/occurrence in solstices indicates a clear positive correlation with Es recorded simultaneously by a collocated Ionosonde. In equinoxes, maximum scintillations occur in the pre-midnight hours while in solstices the occurrence frequency peaks just after sunset. The incidence of strong scintillations (S₄ ≥ 0.4) increases with increase in solar activity. Strong (S₄ ≥ 0.4) ionospheric scintillations accompanied by TEC depletions in the pre-midnight period is attributed to equatorial irregularities whereas the dusk period scintillations are related to the sporadic-E activity. Present results thus indicate that the current location at the northern edge of the EIA behaves as low as well as mid-latitude location.     

Passive localization by a single moving observer using TOA only with unknown SRI: Observability analysis and algorithm

Passive localization by a single moving observer using Time of Arrival (TOA) only with an unknown Signal Repetition Interval (SRI) is investigated in this paper. Observability analysis is performed first. The observability condition for uniquely determining the emitter position and SRI is derived. The conditional Cramer-Rao Lower Bound (CRLB) is also analyzed. It is found that the ambiguity of the SRI integer of the first TOA does not affect the theoretical estimation precision of the emitter position and SRI. A Reference-Fixed Differential TOA (RFDTOA)-based Iterative Maximum Likelihood Estimator (IMLE) is proposed, which only needs O(M) computational operations. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show that the Mean Square Error (MSE) of the proposed algorithm could attain the CRLB with moderate Gaussian measurement noise.     

SAR performance-based fault diagnosis for electro-hydraulic control system: A novel FDI framework for closed-loop system

Model-based fault diagnosis serves as an efficient and powerful technique in addressing fault detection and isolation (FDI) issues for control systems. However, the standard methods and their modifications still encounter some difficulties in algorithm design and application for complex higher-order systems. To avoid these difficulties, a novel fault diagnosis framework based on multiple performance indicators of closed-loop control system is proposed. Under this framework, a so-called performance residual vector is constructed to measure the differences between the real system and the nominal model in terms of system stability, accuracy, and rapidity (SAR) respectively. The criteria for quantification, normalization of the SAR residuals and the explicit mappings between the thresholds and the required performance are given. FDI can be easily achieved simultaneously by monitoring the normalized residual vector length and direction in the SAR performance residual space. A case study on electro-hydraulic servo control system of turbofan engine is adopted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

现代对策论研究

对策论是研究斗争局势中冲突问题的数学理论,笔者长期以来在此领域进行了大量的研究探讨,本文概要介绍了主要工作。     

INTEGRATED GPS/INS OF PSEUDO-RANGE DELTA-RANGE SEMI-PHYSICAL SIMULATION'S RESEARCH

In order to further study the performance of tightly integrated navigation system of GPS/INS, a semi-physical simulation of tightly coupled system has been done based on the data gathered from the experiment of integrated system of GPS and INS. The closed-loop Kalman Filter and U-D discompose algorithm have been used. The simulation results associated to four integrated models of pseudo-range, delta-range, pseudo-range and delta-range alternation, and pseudo-range and delta-range synthesis have been provided, and the actual effects of variously integrated models have been analyzed. The results show that the pseudo-range and delta-range synthesis coupled model is the most effective to improve the coupled system performance and the individual delta-range coupled model had better be avoided in application.