Cooperative Positioning Algorithms for Estimating Inter-Vehicle Distance Using Multi-GNSS

In this paper, non ranging-based cooperative positioning algorithms based on GNSS measurements, including Absolute Position Differencing (APD), Single-Differencing (SD), and Double-Differencing (DD), are used to estimate the inter-vehicle distance (IVD). To reduce the uncertainty of IVD estimates, the maximum volume algorithm (MVA) was employed to determine the optimal geometric group composition of four satellites as a multi-GNSS system, namely GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou. Real-world experiments on two autonomous vehicles using SD-based and DD-based algorithms demonstrate that estimated IVD uncertainty is sub-centimetres, which is close to sensor-based solutions but at a lower cost.