Environment effects and system performance characterisation of GPS antennas for mobile terminals

The GPS antenna on mobile terminals suffers from multipath effects owing to reflection, diffraction and scattering of the incident wave in a radio environment. A traditional approach to evaluate the GPS antenna performance in a real multipath environment is therefore insufficient. Presented is a new technique to characterise these environmental effects and the system performance of GPS antennas on mobile terminals.     

Multipath-rejecting GPS antennas

Multipath interference limits the speed and accuracy of determining position by differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) techniques. A geodetic surveyor for example, requires multipath interference rejection of about 36+20log₁₀sinϵ dB, where ϵ is the elevation angle of the satellite being observed. Signal processing in a GPS receiver cannot satisfy this requirement. A receiving antenna is required that can sufficiently reject signals arriving from below the horizon. Available antennas have inadequate rejection, and brute-force methods of improving them, e.g., by enlarging their ground-planes, are impractical. A compact, ground-planeless, dual-band GPS antenna with improved multipath rejection has been designed and field-tested. This antenna resembles a vertical post rather than a horizontal platter; within its 0.1-m diameter, 0.4-m tall randome is a vertical array of turnstile elements. In field tests, a three-element array antenna rejected multipath better than a 0.5-m diameter ground-plane antenna by an average of 5 dB. A five-element array antenna appears superior to a 0.9-m diameter ground-plane antenna     

一种通用的GPS多类干扰抑制方法

欺骗式干扰、压制式干扰、卫星多径信号干扰是GPS最常见的,也是最有威胁的干扰。本文针对这三种干扰共存的情况,将子空间技术和低副瓣常规波束形成技术相结合,提出了一种通用的抗干扰算法。该算法能够同时抑制欺骗式干扰、压制式干扰和卫星多径信号干扰,并对GPS信号提供信号处理增益。本文还分析了欺骗式干扰和GPS卫星信号的相关特性,针对不同的相关性,提出分别采用协方差矩阵特征值分解和高分辨相干子空间估计方法来计算干扰子空间。仿真结果表明本文方法可以同时抑制多类干扰,保证接收机能够准确捕获到卫星信号。      

基于DSP的GPS双天线实时姿态测量系统实现

实现了基于DSP的GPS双天线实时姿态测量系统，采用Kalman滤波估计载体的位置，速度和初始模糊值搜索距离，然后采用FASF和LAMBDA解算整周模糊度和直接法计算载体的姿态。给出了基于DSP的硬件实现，相对于传统的模糊度解算方法，所采用的整周模糊度解算方法具有效率更高，更便于实时和动态应用的特点，实现了与多天线GPS姿态测量系统相当的精度。对GPS姿态测量技术的工程应用和理论研究具有一定的参考价值。     

Effects of antenna directivity and polarization on indoor multipathpropagation characteristics at 60 GHz

In millimeter-wave indoor communications systems, the radiation patterns and polarizations of the antennas at base stations and remote terminals have a significant influence on channel characteristics. The work reported in this paper investigated the effects of the radiation patterns of the antennas at remote terminals on multipath propagation characteristics. These effects were investigated by indoor propagation measurements at 60 GHz conducted in a modern office room and by ray-tracing simulations based on geometrical optics. Multipath channel characteristics are compared in terms of impulse responses and their root-mean-square (rms) delay spreads for an omnidirectional antenna and for three directive antennas with different beam widths. From the results of measurements and ray-tracing simulations, the use of a directive antenna at the remote terminal is demonstrated to be an effective method of reducing the effects of multipath propagation. Further reduction in the multipath effects is found to be achieved by the use of circular polarization instead of linear polarization with the directive antennas     

Effect of imperfect channel estimation on transmit diversity in CDMA systems

In this paper, the effect of imperfect channel estimation on the transmit diversity based on space-time block coding for the downlink of a direct-sequence code-division multiple-access system is studied. Two transmit antenna and one receiving antennas are employed. However, the results of this paper can be extended to the system with more receiving antennas. Each channel is modeled as frequency-selective Rayleigh fading and the pair of channels corresponding to two transmit antennas are mutually independent. Both spatial diversity gain and multipath diversity gain are obtained in the system. The system performance is evaluated in terms of bit-error rate under the perfect and imperfect channel estimation. A pilot-assisted channel-estimation scheme with one common spreading code sequence is exploited. It is shown that the inaccurate channel estimates suffering from multiple access and multipath interference significantly degrade the system performance and can be effectively improved by use of a simple low-pass filter. The investigation of the power ratio of pilot to data channels illustrates that the base station should dynamically adjust the transmit power of the pilot channel according to the varying system configurations in order to achieve the best performance.     

Comparative study of high-performance GPS receiving antenna designs

The FAA decision allowing the use of the global positioning system (GPS) as a radio navigation and landing help system in the United States commercial airports boosts the need for a high-performance GPS receiver which provides the demanded precision. The design of the receiving antenna is one of the most important parts in the design process, as it has to face significant challenges including uniform coverage of all satellites and the rejection of the multipath signals. The rejection of the multipath signals is accomplished by specifying restrictive criteria to the GPS antenna. This includes a high rejection of the cross-polarized signals and a radiation pattern with a sharp slope for low-elevation angles; that is, near the horizon. The feasibility of using different types of antennas to satisfy restrictive criteria such as dual-frequency coverage (L1 and L2 frequencies), -15 dB cross-polarization rejection, and a beamwidth of more than 130° is discussed. The antenna designs examined in this study include patch antennas, helical antennas, and conical spiral antennas. Two different receiver designs were also examined including a single-antenna system with a hemispherical coverage and an antenna array which may provide independent sectoral coverage or the desired beamwidth. It is shown that a design based on a conical spiral antenna backed with absorbing material may be used to satisfy all the desired specifications. This result was confirmed experimentally     

Maximizing signal strength for OFDM inside buildings

Propagation inside buildings suffer from large shadowing and high multipath effects. This is a serious problem for wireless local area network (WLAN) systems. This paper shows that shadowing and path loss can be minimized by exploiting the multipath tolerance of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM). This can be achieved by using multiple transmission antennas spread over the area of a WLAN cell. These antennas act as repeaters, transmitting and receiving the same signal at the same time. This decreases the average path loss, but increases the multipath delay spread. Using OFDM allows the advantage of reduced path loss to be utilized without detrimental effects of inter-symbol interference caused by the increased delay spread. The reduced path loss allows an increased system capacity, quality of service, or a decrease in intercellular interference in a cellular WLAN     

高分辨率机载InSAR高程距离向空变误差定标方法

高分辨率机载干涉合成孔径雷达(Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar, InSAR)是获取高精度数字高程模型(Digital Elevation Model, DEM)的重要手段之一。由于主副天线距离向相位方向图存在差异等原因,导致干涉相位偏差沿距离向变化,而传统的干涉定标方法将干涉相位偏差视为常数进行定标,无法消除干涉相位沿距离向变化的误差,因此使得定标后反演得到的高程存在距离向空变误差。针对该问题,该文提出一种单独将干涉相位偏差沿视角进行多项式拟合的定标方法。最后,利用一组机载实测数据对该方法加以验证,实验结果表明,该方法能有效地解决高分辨率机载InSAR高程测量距离向误差的空变问题。     

地形测绘用三天线机载干涉合成孔径雷达

回顾了中国科学院电子学研究所重复飞行机载L—SAR干涉系统和机载X波段双天线干涉SAR系统的研制和试验，阐述了利用收发天线分置结构拓展干涉基线长度的方法。在采用三天线的收发天线分置结构机载干涉SAR的基础上，构建三天线的双基线机载干涉SAR，并就其基线精密动态测量和基线优化设计两个关键技术以及系统性能进行了分析。分析结果表明，利用三天线构成的双基线机载干涉SAR是改进相位展开过程、提高高程测量精度的有效方法。     

智能天线在多径信道中的性能仿真与分析

首先讨论了自适应阵列天线算法原理，然后通过对采用LMS算法的智能天线在多径信道中抗多径干扰性能的仿真，进一步分析了多径干扰对智能天线性能的影响。结果表明，智能天线阵列的抗多径干扰性能受信号空间分布、信号幅度等因素的影响。     

基于多视角快拍InSAR干涉技术的前视SAR三维成像

该文提出了一种基于多视角快拍InSAR干涉技术的前视SAR 3维成像方法。方位维依靠安置实际线性阵列以实现方位维高分辨,对应雷达发射的一次脉冲实现一次快拍2维高分辨成像;利用多次快拍不同视角获得的干涉相干相位,通过多基线InSAR联合像素处理方法,估计场景的高程信息。该文的3维成像方法对应回波数据录取时间短,数据量和运算量比较小;同时,多基线InSAR联合像素处理方法利用信号空间与噪声空间的正交性,能够有效提高信噪比,保证较高的测高精度。仿真结果验证了该文分析的正确性和算法的有效性。     

ESTAR: a synthetic aperture microwave radiometer for remote sensingapplications

ESTAR represents a new technology being developed for passive microwave remote sensing of the environment from space. The instrument employs an interferometric technique called aperture synthesis in which the coherent product from pairs of antennas is measured as a function of pair spacing. Substantial reductions in the antenna aperture needed for a given spatial resolution can be achieved with this technique. As a result, aperture synthesis could lead to practical passive microwave remote sensing instruments in space to measure parameters such as soil moisture and ocean salinity which require observations at long wavelengths and, therefore, large antennas. ESTAR is an L-band, aircraft built as part of research to develop this technique ESTAR is a hybrid real-and-synthetic aperture radiometer which employs stick antennas to achieve resolution along track and uses aperture synthesis to achieve resolution across track. Experiments to validate the instrument's ability to measure soil moisture have recently been conducted at the USDA watersheds at Walnut Gulch in Arizona and the Little Washita River in Oklahoma. The results of both experiments indicate that a valid image reconstruction and calibration have been obtained for this remote sensing technique     

Analysis of a choke ring groundplane for multipath control inGlobal Positioning System (GPS) applications

In this paper a computational scheme is presented for accurately predicting the farfield amplitude and phase characteristics of Global Positioning System (GPS) antennas flush-mounted to a corrugated groundplane. The algorithm developed is particularly well-suited in beamshaping of (GPS) antennas in order to provide a high level of multipath rejection. The usefulness of the analytical model has been verified by the excellent agreement achieved between experimental data and predicted amplitude and phase patterns     

On-the-fly carrier phase ambiguity resolution for precise aircraft landing

Successful GPS on-the-fly (OTF) carrier phase ambiguity resolution for precise positioning at the centimetre level has already been demonstrated. This has usually been in good observation conditions, e.g. over short distances, lots of satellites, P-code pseudoranges available, and small unmodelled errors. In order for GPS to fulfil the rigorous ICAO Cat. III precise landing navigation requirements centimetre-level accuracy must also be obtained in more realistic conditions, e.g. A-S on, high-unmodelled errors and less than six satellites. Integrating GPS with other sensors, e.g. INS, is likely to aid ambiguity resolution in such conditions, but there are limitations. After discussing critically the OTF methods, approaches are examined which will provide the precise accuracy, reliability and integrity required. Combining GPS with one, or more, pseudolites to provide an extra geometrical constraint to aid ambiguity resolution is described. Flight tests using different configurations of pseudolites are carried out and analysed.     

基于分数低阶矩的干涉阵列米波雷达稳健测高方法

限制米波(VHF)雷达低角测高性能的关键因素是波束宽及复杂多径反射信号。该文提出倒T形干涉式阵列以扩展阵列孔径和增加阵列自由度(DOF),并提出基于分数低阶矩(FLOM)的干涉阵列米波雷达低角稳健测高算法。该算法针对复杂多径信号中非高斯分布的散射分量,从理论上证明分数阶协变矩阵(CM)仍保留阵列流形结构特征,并结合2维空间平滑技术实现分数阶协变矩阵的解相干,再由双尺度酉ESPRIT算法实现稳健低角测高。最后从理论上提出干涉阵列的3区基线设计法。实验结果验证干涉阵列与测高算法的有效性与正确性,说明干涉阵列提高了低角目标分辨性能,也说明了分数低阶矩增强了低角测高算法的稳健性,并验证3区基线设计法的理论正确性。     

A low-complexity combined antenna array and interferencecancellation DS-CDMA receiver in multipath fading channels

A simple direct sequence-code division multiple access receiver that combines adaptive beamforming with parallel interference cancellation in a multipath fading channel is proposed and analyzed. A fast adaptation, conjugate gradient algorithm is used to find the optimum beamformer weights. By beamforming, the desired user's signal is enhanced and the cochannel interference from other directions is reduced. For in-beam multiple access interference reduction, a parallel interference canceller is used in each RAKE finger. In the demodulation process, we propose a new demodulation method in which the incoming signal is correlated with the effecting spreading code rather than the physical spreading code called the effective matched filter. A new combining method called equivalent maximal ratio combining is also proposed and analyzed. The average uncoded bit error rate as a function of the average antenna signal-to-noise ratio and the number of receiving antennas is examined in a frequency selective Rayleigh fading channel for all proposed receiver structures. Both simulation and analysis show an increase in system capacity as a function of the number of antennas and the number of interferers canceled per finger     

Multipath error mitigation based on wavelet transform in L1 GPS receivers for kinematic applications

GPS positioning issue has been experienced a surge of interest for multipath mitigation in the past few years. Multipath disturbance is a challenging error in high precision GPS positioning particularly in kinematic mode where the moving receiver undergoes different multipath circumstances. Diverse hardware and software approaches have been implemented to reduce this error in both static and kinematic modes. We have proposed an algorithm to alleviate C/A code multipath in kinematic mode. Our proposed scheme falls into software group where wavelet transform (WT) has been used as the main basis. Of course, we have used stationary wavelet transform (SWT) as the key idea of our proposed method that makes it possible to investigate all frequency sub-bands. Consequently, it would be possible to extract multipath disturbance since it is considered to be a low frequency term. After applying SWT to double difference (DD) residuals, the multipath error is extracted and used to correct DD observations. In this paper, we have designed three experiments to study our proposed method efficiency under different conditions in comparison with existing algorithms.     

Analysis of Combined Effects of Multipath and CW Interference on Coherent Delay Lock Loop

Multipath and continuous wave (CW) interference can cause severe performance degradation of global navigation satellite system receivers. Therefore, effects of multipath or CW interference have been analyzed separately in many papers. However, when multipath and interference exist at the same time, it hasn’t been discussed whether their effects on code tracking performance are independent, and the combined effects of multipath and CW interference haven’t been analyzed. This paper analyzes the combined effects of multipath and CW interference on the code tracking performance of coherent delay lock loop (DLL). An analytical expression of code tracking error envelope is suggested for coherent DLL and can be used to assess combined effects of multipath and CW interference. This analytical expression shows that multipath may change the slope of discrimination function, which causes the problem that effects of multipath and CW interference aren’t independent. Therefore, multipath effects on the slope of discrimination function are discussed in this paper. It is shown that smaller correlator spacing can decrease the multipath effect on the slope of discrimination function. However, when the finite bandwidth is taken into account, the smaller correlator spacing can’t suppress the multipath effect on the slope of discrimination function effectively. The combined effects of multipath and CW interference depend on many factors. The GPS C/A signal is taken as an example of the application of the derived expression to discuss how these factors affect the code tracking performance, and simulation validation shows the availability of theoretical results.     

采用定向天线的MANET邻居发现算法研究

在无线多跳移动自组织网(MANET)中采用定向天线(特别是波束成形天线)有一系列优点。这一技术能增加单跳传输的距离、减小干扰、提高空间复用度,从而能显著增大系统容量。然而,适应于采用全向天线的传统MANET的媒质接入控制(MAC)、功率控制、邻居发现、路由等方法必须作相应的修改。在分析前人相关研究的基础上,针对MANET使用定向天线情况下的邻居发现机制及算法进行了深入研究,提出了2种采用定向天线的MANET的邻居发现算法———非辅助TD模式的定向邻居发现算法与非辅助TRD模式的定向邻居发现算法。这2种算法与目前已提出的其他定向邻居发现算法的最大区别是,它们不需要依赖GPS或其他辅助信息就能独立实现邻居发现。