Code minus carrier multipath observation for satellite exclusion

• US 9,329,274 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Schipper, Brian W., Jeerage, Mahesh K.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, HARRY K
• Application Number:
  US13/937,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20150015437A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,029 Days
• Field of Search: 342/357.61, 342/357.27
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/22 Multipath-related issues
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/428 using multipath or indirect path propagation signals in position determination

Abstract

A method comprises generating a respective code-carrier difference for each of a plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, wherein the code-carrier difference is based on a code range and a carrier range. The method also comprises filtering the respective code-carrier difference for an unknown bias and random noise; determining whether multipath is present for each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on the respective filtered code-carrier difference; and computing a position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, the trust based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating a respective code-carrier difference for each of a plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, wherein the code-carrier difference is based on a code range and a carrier range;

filtering the respective code-carrier difference for an unknown bias and random noise;

determining whether multipath is present for each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on the respective filtered code-carrier difference; and

computing a position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, the trust based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein computing the position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations comprises:

excluding measurements from the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination from the position solution computation if multipath is detected.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein computing the position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations comprises:

including measurements from the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination in the position solution computation if multipath is not detected.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether multipath is present for each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations comprises comparing a magnitude of the respective filtered code-carrier difference to a multipath threshold, wherein the multipath threshold is a threshold value that, when exceeded, indicates the presence of multipath error.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein computing a position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations comprises:

weighting the respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination; and

calculating a weighted least squares solution based on the respective weighted measurements.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein unknown bias is filtered out with a high pass filter, wherein the high pass filter is configured to only allow frequencies above a frequency of the unknown bias to pass.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein random noise is filtered out with a low pass filter, wherein the low pass filter is configured to only allow frequencies below a frequency of the random noise to pass.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein unknown bias and random noise are removed using a band pass filter, wherein the band pass filter is configured to allow only frequencies above a frequency of the unknown bias, and below a frequency of the random noise.

9. A program product comprising a processor-readable medium on which program instructions are embodied, wherein the program instructions are configured, when executed by at least one programmable processor, to cause the at least one programmable processor to:

generate a respective code-carrier difference for each of a plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, wherein the code-carrier difference is based on a code range and a carrier range;

filter the respective code-carrier difference for an unknown bias and random noise;

determine whether multipath is present for each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on the respective filtered code-carrier difference; and

compute a position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, the trust based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to exclude measurements from the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination if multipath is detected for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

11. The program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to include measurements from the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination in the position solution computation if multipath is not detected cy.

12. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to determine the presence of multipath by comparing a magnitude of the respective filtered code-carrier difference to a multipath threshold, wherein the multipath threshold is a threshold value that, when exceeded, indicates the presence of multipath error.

13. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to:

weight the respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination; and

calculate a weighted least squares solution based on the respective weighted measurements.

14. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to filter the unknown bias with a high pass filter, wherein the high pass filter is configured to only allow frequencies above a frequency of the unknown bias to pass.

15. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to filter random noise with a low pass filter, wherein the low pass filter is configured to only allow frequencies below a frequency of the random noise to pass.

16. The program product of claim 9, wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the at least one programmable processor to filter unknown bias and random noise using a band pass filter, wherein the band pass filter is configured to allow only frequencies above a frequency of the unknown bias, and below a frequency of the random noise.

17. A code minus carrier multipath observation and satellite exclusion apparatus comprising:

a GNSS antenna coupled to a GNSS receiver, the antenna and receiver configured to receive a satellite carrier signal;

a code-carrier difference generation unit coupled to the GNSS antenna and GNSS receiver, the code-carrier difference generation unit configured to generate a code-carrier difference for each of a plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, wherein the code-carrier difference is based on a code range and a carrier range; and

a multipath detection unit coupled to the code-carrier difference generation unit, the multipath detection unit configured to filter the respective code-carrier difference to filter out an unknown bias and random noise;

wherein the multipath detection unit is further configured to determine whether multipath is present for each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations based on the respective filtered code-carrier difference.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 further comprising a position solution calculator unit coupled to the multipath detection unit, the position solution calculator unit configured to calculate a position solution based on trust placed in respective measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and signal frequency combinations, the trust based on whether multipath is present for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the position solution calculator unit is configured to exclude respective measurements from the position solution calculation if multipath is detected for the respective satellite vehicle and signal frequency combination.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the position solution calculator unit is configured to calculate a weighted least squares solution based on respective weighted measurements, wherein measurements from each of the plurality of satellite vehicle and frequency combinations are weighted based on a respective code-carrier difference for the respective satellite vehicle and frequency combination.