Global Positioning System Antenna Research Articles

A Versatile Shared-Aperture Antenna for Vehicle Communications

This communication introduces a versatile, multi-service, shared-aperture antenna system for multiple vehicle applications. The design comprises three antenna elements: a rotatable microstrip antenna for global positioning system (GPS) communication, a cross-dipole circularly polarized antenna for satellite communication in the S-band, and a pattern reconfigurable antenna for V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle) communication. These antennas collectively support GPS, satellite communication (Satcom), and V2V communication in a single, shared-aperture design. This shared-aperture antenna system offers cost savings and occupies less space compared to using separate antennas for each service. The microstrip antenna covers the 1575 MHz frequency band used for GPS communication. The cross-dipole circularly polarized antenna provides continuous wideband coverage for S-band satellite communication. The pattern reconfigurable antenna, tailored for the specific application scenario, covers the 5.9 GHz V2V working frequency band (5.855–5.925 GHz). Practical testing and simulation results confirm the effectiveness of this antenna system for the intended applications. In summary, the microstrip antenna has a bandwidth of 1.565–1.578 GHz and a realized gain of 7 dBi with radiation efficiency of 81%, the cross-dipole antenna has a bandwidth of 2.2–3.8 GHz (53.3%) and a realized gain of 8.3 dBi with radiation efficiency of 90%, and the pattern reconfigurable antenna has a 5.8–6 GHz bandwidth and a realized gain of 3.7 dBi with radiation efficiency of 85%, and the isolation between antennas with different frequencies is 25 dB, 20 dB, and 30 dB in three frequency bands.

Safety Assessment of Electromagnetic Environmental Exposure for GPS Antenna of Electric Vehicle

The present GPS (global positioning system) is widely used in electric vehicle navigation; it is usually installed in the middle-to-rear position on the car’s roof, near the rear windshield. Since the GPS antenna operating frequency is 1.575 GHz, the health risk of the passengers in the car in this high-frequency electromagnetic exposure is a matter of concern. In this paper, we construct models for a GPS antenna, an electric vehicle, and a human body. Through the multiphysics field coupling calculation in COMSOL Multiphysics, a finite element simulation software, in both frequency domain and transient analysis, we obtain the electric field strength distribution, specific absorption rate, and temperature distribution of the human body at three positions inside the electric vehicle after being exposed to the GPS antenna radiation for 30 minutes. The peak human-induced electric field is 18.4 V/m, and the peak specific absorption rate is 0.193 W/kg. The 30 minute average maximum human-induced electric field is 1.6906 V/m, which is 3.1% of the ICNIRP limit, the 30 minute average whole-body SAR is 0.0036 W/kg, which is 4.5% of the ICNIRP limit, and the 30 minute average human core temperature rise is 0.06°C, which is 6% of the ICNIRP limit. In addition, we simulate the impact of three different vehicle shell materials on the level of electromagnetic exposure to the human body, which can provide reference for electromagnetic shielding design in automobiles. The results indicate that the induced electric field strength, specific absorption rate (SAR), and temperature rise in various parts of the human body did not exceed the standard limits in the latest version of ICNIRP. This suggests that the electromagnetic exposure from the GPS antenna in a typical automotive environment does not pose a threat to human health.

Tri-Band Circularly Polarized Annular Slot Antenna for GPS and CNSS Applications

A single-feed tri-band circularly polarized (CP) annular slot antenna is presented. The antenna structure is composed of two non-concentric annular slots that are fed by an L-shaped series step impedance microstrip line configuration. The proposed antenna is designed to operate at the L1 & L2 bands of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and the frequency band of the Compass Navigation Satellite System (CNSS). The measured results show that the impedance bandwidths are good for all bands. And the radiation patterns with good CP characteristics are obtained at the three resonant frequencies.

Simulation Research on the Effect of Ultra-wideband Pulses with a Global Positioning System Antenna

With the development of drone technology, drones are gradually being applied in various industries. But with the increasingly complex electromagnetic environment, the impact of electromagnetic interference on drones is also gradually increasing. The GPS is one of the important components of unmanned aerial vehicles. This paper establishes a 1.58 GHz frequency band circularly polarized microstrip patch antenna model. It uses this model to simulate the coupling effect of UWB pulses on the front door of the GPS. UWB pulses with different polarization directions and incidence angles were selected for coupling simulation research. The results indicate that the coupling effect is closely related to the polarization direction and incident direction angle of the pulse, and the coupling signal spectra under different conditions are obtained. This result guides subsequent experiments on the coupling effect of UWB pulses on unmanned aerial vehicles and research on the coupling mechanism.

Improved delayed detached eddy simulations of flow past an autonomous underwater helicopter

To achieve good control of an autonomous underwater helicopter (AUH), it is of great significance to study its hydrodynamic quantities. In the present study, hydrodynamic analysis of a disk-shaped AUH is carried out by using three-dimensional (3D) improved delayed detached eddy simulations for the complex flow around an AUH model with main installed structures. The Reynolds numbers based on the incoming flow velocity and diameter of the AUH are in the range of (4–8)×105. The predicted drag and lift coefficients of the AUH at three different incoming flow velocities (0.35, 0.5, and 0.75 m/s) with five different pitch angles of (−15°, − 7.5°, 0°, 7.5°, and 15°) are analyzed. When the pitch angle increases from 0° to ±15°, the value of CD increases from 0.50 to 0.67. The value of CL decreases from 0.73 to −0.89 with the increasing pitch angle from −15° to 15°. The drag and lift coefficients of the AUH at three different incoming flow velocities with five different pitch angles are analyzed. The vortical flow structures of the three typical pitch angle cases subjected to an incoming flow velocity of 0.5 m/s are presented and discussed. A drag force element decomposition analysis is employed to further reveal the relationship between the wake flow and the hydrodynamic forces. It is found that the inverse ultrashort base line sensor and global positioning system antenna have significant contributions to the drag force. Furthermore, dynamic mode decomposition is applied to study the large-scale wake flow structures behind the AUH. The dominant modes are selected by using a sparsity-promoted algorithm. The modal analysis results reveal the spatial distributions of the large-scale 3D flow structures. It is indicated that vortical structures at different frequencies can be generated due to the installations on the AUH and different pitch angles.

Dual-band circularly polarized asymmetric dipole array antenna for GPS L1 and L2 bands

A dual-band, circularly polarized (CP) asymmetric dipole array antenna for Global Positioning System (GPS) applications with a wide beam is presented in this paper. The proposed antenna comprises two different-sized printed crossed dipoles with integrated baluns fed by an asymmetric feeding network to achieve dual-band functionality. Using two branch-line couplers with different dimensions in the feeding network performs Right-Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP) operation at GPS L1 and L2 bands. According to the experiments, the proposed antenna has wide impedance bandwidths of 24.82% (1139.5–1462.4 MHz) and 14.82% (1500.4–1740.5 MHz), and 3 dB Axial-Ratio (AR) bandwidth of 37.4% (1132.3–1653.2 MHz) to cover the GPS L1 and L2 bands. Furthermore, at 1227 MHz frequency, the antenna has a gain of 4.65 dBic, and a 3 dB AR beamwidth of 148.2° facing the sky. Also, at 1575 MHz frequency, a gain of 5.25 dBic and a 3 dB AR beamwidth of 139.3° are achieved.

Compact Hybrid Choke Rings for Dual-Band Circularly Polarized GPS Antenna

This letter presents the compact hybrid choke rings for the dual-band circularly polarized global positioning system (GPS) antenna, in order to suppress the surface wave propagation and reduce the back lobe levels. The designed dual-band circularly polarized antenna is center-fed and composed of two radiation patches. The novel compact hybrid choke rings are introduced to reduce the radiation back lobes and improve the front to back ratio effectively. The measured results show that the return loss of the antenna is greater than 10 dB and the bandwidth covers GPS L2 from 1.168 to 1.238 GHz and GPS L1 from 1.543 to 1.599 GHz. In the working bands, the front to back ratio of the proposed antenna is greater than 30 dB.

Design and Study of a Microstrip Patch Antenna for GPS Application

A microstrip patch antenna for Global Positioning System (GPS) application is presented in this study. It has a rectangular shape with two notched slots. The notched slots are introduced to improve the adaptation between the microstrip line and the antenna. The antenna was designed and simulated by CST using FR-4 material as the substrate with relative permittivity of 4.3. The proposed microstrip antenna is designed to operate in the GPS band frequency from 1.555 GHz to 1.595 GHz. The performance analysis of the proposed antennas has been carried out in terms of return loss (dB), gain (dB), and VSWR.

A novel sequential‐phase quad‐feed circularly polarized microstrip antenna for INMARSAT and GPS applications

In this letter, a compact circularly polarized microstrip antenna has been developed with a new type of feed structure. The key feature of the antenna is the integrated design of the quad-feed network coplanar with the driven patch, which makes the antenna simple in structure and has good circular polarization performance. A parasitic patch is used to expand the impedance bandwidth, while a round hole in the center of the driven patch is used to improve impedance matching. In addition, a cavity is utilized to reduce the transverse size of the antenna and improve the front-to-back ratio. The simulation and experimental results show that the VSWR of the antenna is lower than 1.5 and the average gain is higher than 8dBic in the L-band for International Maritime Satellite applications. Due to the centrosymmetric feed configuration, the antenna can also be used as a global positioning system antenna, which requires high stability of the phase center.

Robust attitude estimation for an unmanned aerial vehicle using multiple GPS receivers

Estimation of the system state is an important task in the field of control, localization, and navigation. Many sensors are used to extract the attitude information. GPS (Global Positioning System) is widely used to provide position and velocity for ground and aerial vehicles. However, only a few research works have addressed the problem of attitude estimation using multiple GPS receivers. The main contribution of this paper consists on proposing a robust algorithm for attitude estimation of an unmanned aerial vehicle using INS/3GPS integration. First, we propose two alternative methods for attitude determination with three GPS receivers: Direct Computing Method (DCM) and Least Square Method (LSM) based on Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). Second, the attitude given by GPS receivers is fused with the measurement of a three-axis gyroscope using a robust Smooth Variable Structure Filter (SVSF). The optimal geometric configuration of GPS antennas is determined based on a deep performance analysis of the proposed system. Then, robustness analysis is assessed against measurement noise and parameters uncertainties. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach. A more realistic evaluation of the proposed solution is obtained using an aerial vehicle type “Helicopter” from the Virtual Robot Experimentation Platform (VREP simulator). The proposed filter is compared with an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The obtained results have confirmed how much the SVSF is robust for attitude estimation in presence of the considered disturbances.

Copernicus Sentinel–1 POD reprocessing campaign

Copernicus Sentinel–1 is a C-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite mission within the European Copernicus Programme. The two satellites Sentinel-1A and -1B were launched in April 2014 and 2016, respectively. The Copernicus POD (Precise Orbit Determination) Service is responsible for the determination of orbital and auxiliary products required by the Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS). Precise orbits are determined based on the dual-frequency GPS (Global Positioning System) data delivered by dedicated geodetic-grade GPS receivers on-board the satellites. Several updates in the operational orbit determination were done during the years including an update of the GPS antenna reference point coordinates. The switch to GPS carrier phase ambiguity-fixing was a major improvement. A reprocessing of the entire mission span of both satellites became necessary to provide a consistent orbit time series for the mission based on state-of-the-art models and processing settings. Due to the lack of independent observation techniques, the Sentinel-1 orbit quality has been assessed by analysing processing metrics, orbit overlaps and orbit comparisons. For this purpose, members of the Copernicus POD Quality Working Group (QWG) provided reprocessed Sentinel-1 orbit time series based on their software packages and their orbit determination settings. A weighted average of all five delivered solutions - a combined orbit - serves as reference for the comparisons. The quality and reliability of this reference orbit depends among others on the number of available orbit solutions and whether a manoeuvre has been performed during the processed day or not. The mean orbit consistency between all orbit solutions is below 1 cm in 3D RMS for the entire mission time interval for both satellites. Only few days show inferior quality due to data gaps or orbit manoeuvres. Following this sophisticated validation process, the reprocessed Sentinel-1 orbits from the Copernicus POD Service have been made available to the user community.

Testing Patch, Helix and Vertical Dipole GPS Antennas with without Choke Ring Frame

Abstract: The antenna is the connecting part between Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite and receiver, and it works on transferring the satellite signal propagation to the receiver with minimum interruption. This is beside the main role that GPS antenna can play for accurate and precise positioning. High quality GPS antennas have high gain, systematic radiation pattern, Right Hand Circular Polarization (RHCP), and low directivity. Multipath error is a principal error source connected with GPS positioning and it can be mitigated using better antenna design. GPS antennas tend to be provided with choke ring frame for protection from the reflected RHCP electromagnetic waves. In this paper, the performance of three different types of GPS antenna, namely: Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA), Helix antenna (HA), and Vertical Dipole antenna (VDA), with and without choke ring frame, has been investigated using single frequency GPS receiver. The antennas have been examined under the same GPS environment, including satellites constellation, geometry, and surroundings, with different heights from the ground reflector surface for multipath evaluation. Short base-line kinematic differential code GPS (DGPS) technique has been used for removing and mitigating the main GPS error sources and focusing on multipath effect. Satellite residuals and the quality of the obtained positioning have been considered for evaluating the performance of each antenna. The results have reflected the ability of choke ring frames to improve the performance of the three GPS antennas with different rates in multipath areas, and illustrate the advantages and limitations of each antenna. Keywords: Micro-strip, Patch, Helix, Vertical Dipole, GPS, Choke Ring Antenna, Multipath.

Telemetry tails: a practical method for attaching animal-borne devices to small vertebrates in the field

Context Continued miniaturisation of tracking technology increases its utility in animal applications. However, species morphology often dictates the type of animal-borne device (ABD) that can be used, and how it is attached. The morphology of species within Peramelemorphia preclude them from the standard collar attachment of ABDs for terrestrial mammals. Aims This paper describes a method for the tail-mount attachment of ABDs, and deployment results for Peramelemorphia across arid, semi-arid and temperate Australia to (a) test the performance of attachments and ABDs in the field and (b) discuss the animal welfare considerations for this attachment method. Methods Tail-mount attachment of ABDs were field-tested on a total of 80 greater bilbies (Macrotis lagotis), and 14 long-nosed bandicoots (Perameles nasuta). Key results Time to natural detachment (TTND) was between 2 and 52 days, with 65.74% (142 of 216) remaining on until manual removal. For ABDs that were manually removed, attachments were retained for up to 94 days. The method used for tail-mount attachment of ABDs to long-nosed bandicoots resulted in significantly shorter TTND compared with the method used for bilbies, and environmental factors (high temperatures and rainfall) had a negative effect on TTND. Tail-mount attached global positioning system (GPS) sensors collected large quantities of accurate data, with a maximum fix success rate of 83.38%. Damage to GPS (antenna breakage and water ingress) during deployment, however, impacted performance. In environments with frequent rainfall and waterlogged soils, the tape on a small proportion (6.25%) of (n = 192) attachments to bilbies caused tail injury. All injuries were resolvable, with most requiring minimal to no veterinary intervention. Key conclusions Attachment longevity can be affected by how the ABD is mounted to the tail, the species and the deployment environment. The environment can also affect which adhesive tapes are suitable for ABD attachment. However, this method is highly modifiable, practical for field application and can have long retention times relative to other temporary methods. Implications This ABD tail-mount attachment method adds another tool to the telemetry tool-kit, with all the benefits of a low-tech, low-cost, passive drop-off type attachment. This method has demonstrated practicality for Peramelemorphia, with potential application to other suitable small vertebrates.

Spatial Variations of Stochastic Noise Properties in GPS Time Series

The noise in position time series of 568 GPS (Global Position System) stations across North America with an observation span of ten years has been investigated using solutions from two processing centers, namely, the Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array (PANGA) and New Mexico Tech (NMT). It is well known that in the frequency domain, the noise exhibits a power-law behavior with a spectral index of around −1. By fitting various noise models to the observations and selecting the most likely one, we demonstrate that the spectral index in some regions flattens to zero at long periods while in other regions it is closer to −2. This has a significant impact on the estimated linear rate since flattening of the power spectral density roughly halves the uncertainty of the estimated tectonic rate while random walk doubles it. Our noise model selection is based on the highest log-likelihood value, and the Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria to reduce the probability of over selecting noise models with many parameters. Finally, the noise in position time series also depends on the stability of the monument on which the GPS antenna is installed. We corroborate previous results that deep-drilled brace monuments produce smaller uncertainties than concrete piers. However, if at each site the optimal noise model is used, the differences become smaller due to the fact that many concrete piers are located in tectonic/seismic quiet areas. Thus, for the predicted performance of a new GPS network, not only the type of monument but also the noise properties of the region need to be taken into account.

Reduced-Dynamic Precise Orbit Determination of Haiyang-2B Altimetry Satellite Using a Refined Empirical Acceleration Model

The Haiyang 2B (HY-2B) satellite requires precise orbit determination (POD) products for geodetic remote sensing techniques. An improved set of reduced-dynamic (RD) orbit solutions was generated from the onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements over a 14-month period using refined strategies and processing techniques. The key POD strategies include a refined empirical acceleration model, in-flight calibration of the GPS antenna, and the resolution of single-receiver carrier-phase ambiguities. In this study, the potential periodicity of empirical acceleration in the HY-2B POD was identified by spectral analysis. In the along-track direction, a noticeable signal with four cycles per revolution (CPR) was significant. A mixed spectrum was observed for the cross-track direction. To better understand the real in-flight environment, a refined empirical acceleration model was used to cope with the time variability of empirical accelerations in HY-2B POD. Three POD strategies were used for the reprocessing for superior orbit quality. Validation using over one year of satellite laser ranging (SLR) measurements demonstrated a 5.2% improvement in the orbit solution of the refined model. Reliable correction for the GPS antenna phase center was obtained from an over-420-day dataset, and a trend in radial offset change was observed. After application of the in-flight calibration of the GPS antenna, a 26% reduction in the RMS SLR residuals was achieved for the RD orbit solution, and the carrier phase residuals were clearly reduced. The integer ambiguity resolution of HY-2B led to strong geometric constraints for the estimated parameters, and a 15% improvement in the SLR residuals could be inferred compared with the float solution.

POSITION ACCURACY STUDY OF USING PORTABLE USB GPS ANTENNA IN OPEN AND CLOSED SPACES

This research involved the positional accuracy study of portable Global Positioning System (GPS) in open and closed spaces. The project has several phases; the first phase consists of setting the portable GPS antenna on the laptop computer and running the u-center data recording application software for raw data recording. The second phase involves data filtration, extraction of position information both for open and closed spaces for analysis. The next stage generation of results including the determining means of latitude and longitude errors and comparing positional accuracy in open and closed spaces. The errors between positions in open and closed spaces were determined for comparison based on selected known locations. The results are plotted into real latitude and longitude scale to show the position acquired. The result in open and closed spaces were finally statistically compared. The pattern of positions accuracy for open and closed space indicates larger longitude error compared to latitude error varying between 1-15 meters in terms of range error from the mean. Test for known positions using ANOVA indicate significant difference between locations acquired in open and closed spaces.

Dynamic Calibration of GPS Effective Isotropic Radiated Power for GNSS-Reflectometry Earth Remote Sensing

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Reflectometry uses reflected GNSS signals for Earth remote sensing applications. Absolute calibration of a Delay Doppler Map (DDM) requires an accurate estimate of the effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the GNSS transmitter, e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS). However, variable transmit power by numerous Block II Follow-on (IIF) and II Replenishment-Modernized (IIR-M) GPS space vehicles has been observed due to their flex power mode. Nonuniformity in the GPS antenna gain patterns further complicates EIRP estimation. A dynamic calibration approach is developed to address GPS EIRP variability. It uses measurements by the direct received GPS signal to estimate GPS EIRP in the specular reflected direction and then incorporates it into the calibration of normalized bistatic radar cross section (NBRCS). Error analyses using Monte Carlo simulations and a root sum of squares (RSS) approach show that the resulting error in NBRCS is about 0.32 dB. Dynamic EIRP calibration instantaneously detects and corrects for power fluctuations in the GPS transmitters and significantly reduces errors due to GPS antenna gain azimuthal asymmetry. It allows observations with the most variable Block IIF transmitters (approximately 37% of the GPS constellation) to be included in the standard data products and further improves the calibration quality of NBRCS and geophysical data products.

ICESat‐2 Precision Orbit Determination

AbstractThe ICESat‐2 Precision Orbit Determination (POD) system computes the precise position of the laser altimeter instrument in inertial space, a measurement necessary for accurate geolocation of individual photon surface returns. ICESat‐2 POD solutions are generated by the reduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) double‐difference carrier phase observable residuals with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's GEODYN software. Independent satellite laser ranging (SLR) measurements are withheld from the POD solutions and used as an independent arbiter of POD performance. Measurement model updates in the form of estimated GPS antenna phase center and satellite laser ranging retro‐reflector tracking point offset vectors as well as a GPS antenna phase center variation map have led to significant improvement in POD performance. GPS residual analysis and orbit precision analysis show no significant anomalous temporal or geographic POD performance issues. The independent SLR residual analysis indicates that POD solutions have achieved a radial orbit accuracy just below 1.5 cm, thus exceeding the mission radial orbit accuracy requirement of 3.0 cm by more than a factor of 2. Future POD processing updates have been identified and will lead to even further improvements in POD performance.

A Novel In-Motion Alignment Method Based on Trajectory Matching for Autonomous Vehicles

The field of automatic driving has always been a research hotspot. Based on inertial and odometer, dead reckoning is used to navigate for L4 and above level autonomous vehicles with less human intervention when GPS is blocked. The navigation accuracy is mainly determined by the alignment error and the drift accumulated over time. In this paper, we proposed a novel method to achieve initial alignment of inertial navigation for L4 and above level autonomous vehicles. The alignment is accomplished with a MEMS inertial measurement unit (MIMU) and single antenna global positioning system real-time kinematic (GPS-RTK). By matching the trajectory obtained from MIMU dead reckoning with the trajectory obtained from RTK, the initial heading angle is obtained, and the heading angle accuracy is improved through multiple iterations. In the case of RTK precision decreasing, the MIMU can still achieve lane-level navigation after the initial alignment. Because the alignment is accomplished in motion, there is no need for additional static alignment time before the vehicle starts. The field experiment results show that the method could achieve fast initial alignment in a few seconds in moving state with an alignment accuracy of 0.05°.

A circular monopole patch antenna loaded with inverted L-shaped stub for GPS application

This article introduces a planar monopole patch antenna for global positioning system (GPS) application. Our design has a circular patch with a stub of inverted L-shape which is used as the radiating portion and partial ground. Our proposed design of the stub allows the antenna to operate at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. The circular monopole is fed by an offset feeding to have an impedance match of 50 ohms. The compact antenna has been designed and simulated on RT Duroid 6006 material with relative permittivity ( ) of 6.15 and 0.0019 as the loss tangent. Our antenna has a dimension of 65 × 55 × 2.54 mm3 . A gain of 1.23 dB is observed at the resonant frequency of 1.5 GHz and the antenna exhibits dipole like radiation pattern both in E and H-plane. The antenna has better impedance matching, good gain and steady characteristics of radiation pattern across the operating bandwidth. High frequency structure simulator (HFSS) v.13.0 is used to carry out all the simulations.