Enhanced GNSS Signal Tracking in Fading Environments using Frequency Diversity

Abstract

A new methodology to enhance the GNSS parameter estimation accuracy in multipath fading environments using the frequency diversity reception is proposed herein. In such environments, fading occurrences observed in different frequency bands are independent of each other. Characteristics of frequency diversity reception using GPS L1 and L2C signals in dense fading conditions are first discussed and compared with those of spatial diversity reception. Comparative analyses of characterization metrics between frequency diversity and spatial diversity signals support the argument that the former is as effective as the latter. A frequency diversity based combined tracking approach is then proposed, and the performance is evaluated using the data collected in dense foliage and residential environments. Results show that frequency diversity based combined tracking results in improved performance compared to that of single frequency tracking. 3D position error reduction achieved by the proposed method is 52% in foliage conditions and 50% in residential environments. Copyright © 2017 Institute of Navigation