The effect on tracking loop performance when using the efficient search method for fast fine frequency acquisition

When implementing real-time software based GNSS receiver, the accurate and fast signal acquisition and tracking method is more necessary than the hardware based receiver owing to lots of computation time. Generally, in the software based GNSS receiver, parallel code phase signal acquisition method using FFT has been used. But it has the defect of the limited frequency resolution according to input data’s length. Considering the carrier frequency resolution must be about tens of Hz in order to perform the tracking loop correctly, the fine frequency acquisition method to minimize the computation time should be necessary to overcome this limitation. Also the examination whether the method will enhance the tracking loop’s performance and cause the reduction of computation time should be necessary. To evaluate these necessities, in this paper, the efficient search method for fine frequency acquisition will be suggested and tested. Furthermore, the effect on signal tracking loop, when the result of signal acquisition obtained by the suggested method is applied, will be analyzed.