Method for self-calibration of frequency offsets

• US 8,643,542 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbH
• Original Assignee: Astrium GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Wendel, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): GALT, CASSI J
• Application Number:
  US13/014,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20110187594A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.62, 342/357.78, 342/357.59
• US Class Current: 342/357.62
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/23 Testing, monitoring, correcting or calibrating of receiver elements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/29 carrier including Doppler, related G01S19/246 takes precedence

Abstract

A method for self-calibration of frequency offsets in a measurement equipment of an interference monitoring system is provided. The method involves sampling I/Q data using the interference monitoring system measurement equipment and acquiring satellite navigation signals from the I/Q data. A carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal is estimated and an expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal is calculated. The expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal is compared with the estimated carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal and a frequency offset value is calculated as the difference between the expected and estimated carrier frequencies of the satellite navigation signal. The frequency offset value is stored in a memory and used to compensate the frequency offset of at least one subsequent measurement.

Claims

1. A method for self-calibration of frequency offsets in measurement equipment of an interference monitoring system, wherein the measurement equipment has a measurement antenna of a known position, the method comprising the steps of:

a) sampling I/Q data using the interference monitoring system measurement equipment;

b) acquiring a satellite navigation signal from the I/Q data by correlating the sampled I/Q data with replica signals of different code phases and different carrier frequencies;

c) said acquisition of step b) providing an estimate of a carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal of a satellite;

d) calculating visibility of the satellite from ephemeris or almanac data and determining an expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal from satellite orbit data and the known position of the measurement antenna;

e) comparing the expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal with the estimated carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal and calculating a frequency offset value as the difference between the expected and estimated carrier frequencies of the satellite navigation signal;

f) storing the frequency offset value in a memory; and

g) using the stored frequency offset value to compensate the frequency offset of at least one subsequent measurement

wherein steps a)-g) are performed in alphabetical order.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the satellite orbit data includes satellite position and satellite velocity.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the acquisition of the satellite navigation signals from the I/Q data is carried out in two sub-steps:

b1) carrying out a coarse acquisition sub-step first; and

b2) carrying out a refinement acquisition sub-step thereafter.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the refinement acquisition sub-step an acquisition technique is applied with narrow frequency bins.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein in the refinement acquisition sub-step the I/Q data sampled in step a) are processed in a tracking loop implementation initialized from results of the coarse acquisition in sub-step b1).

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency offset value is calculated at more than one frequency of interest.

7. Self-calibration device for calibrating frequency offsets in a measurement equipment of an interference monitoring system, wherein the measurement equipment has a measurement antenna of a known position, and wherein the device executes instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium causing the device to:

a) sample I/Q data using the interference monitoring system measurement equipment;

b) acquire a satellite navigation signal from the I/Q data by correlating the sampled I/Q data with replica signals of different code phases and different carrier frequencies;

c) said acquisition of step b) providing an estimate of a carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal of a satellite;

d) calculate visibility of the satellite from ephemeris or almanac data and determining an expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal from satellite orbit data and the known position of the measurement antenna;

e) compare the expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal with the estimated carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal and calculate a frequency offset value as the difference between the expected and estimated carrier frequencies of the satellite navigation signal;

f) store the frequency offset value in a memory; and

g) use the stored frequency offset value to compensate the frequency offset of at least one subsequent measurement,

wherein steps a)-g) are performed in alphabetical order.

8. The self-calibration device according to claim 7, wherein the satellite orbit data includes satellite position and satellite velocity.

9. The self-calibration device according to claim 7, wherein the acquisition of the satellite navigation signals from the I/Q data is carried out by first carrying out a coarse acquisition and subsequently carrying out a refinement acquisition.

10. The self-calibration device according to claim 9, wherein the refinement acquisition applies an acquisition technique with narrow frequency bins.

11. The self-calibration device according to claim 9, wherein in the refinement acquisition the sampled I/Q data are processed in a tracking loop implementation initialized from results of the coarse acquisition.

12. The self-calibration device according to claim 7, wherein the frequency offset value is calculated at more than one frequency of interest.

13. An interference monitoring system comprising measurement equipment provided with a self-calibrating device that executes instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium causing the device to:

a) sample I/Q data using the interference monitoring system measurement equipment;

b) acquire a satellite navigation signal from the I/Q data by correlating the sampled I/Q data with replica signals of different code phases and different carrier frequencies;

c) said acquisition of step b) providing an estimate of a carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal of a satellite;

d) calculate visibility of the satellite from ephemeris or almanac data and determining an expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal from satellite orbit data and the known position of the measurement antenna;

e) compare the expected carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal with the estimated carrier frequency of the satellite navigation signal and calculate a frequency offset value as the difference between the expected and estimated carrier frequencies of the satellite navigation signal;

f) store the frequency offset value in a memory; and

g) use the stored frequency offset value to compensate the frequency offset of at least one subsequent measurement,

wherein steps a)-g) are performed in alphabetical order.