Dual-frequency signal processing architecture for robust and precise positioning applications

Availability of new GPS civil signals L2C and L5 along with existed L1C/A signal and Galileo E1/E5/E6 signals has increased the potential ways to generate linear combination of signals to remove ionosphere errors and improve accuracy in carrier integer ambiguity resolution. Conventionally, a linear combination of dual frequency signals has been used to remove first order ionosphere delays incurred in signal propagation path which is a major source of range error. Out of the three civil signals in GPS and Galileo system, L5/E5 signals have advanced signal features such as higher received power, faster chip rate and lower carrier frequency than L1/E1 and L2C/E6 signals. Hence, dual frequency receiver with combination of L1/L5 and E1/E5 signals is more suitable to remove ionosphere delay and get benefit from L5/E5 signal characteristics. However, the major limitation of linear combination of signal observations is an amplification of receiver noise. To get benefit of two frequency signals, a suitable signal processing architecture is needed. By taking advantage of GPS L5/Galileo E5 signal characteristics, a dual frequency signal processing architecture is proposed with an aim to reduce the ionosphere-free signal observation noise and to enhance the L1/E1 signal tracking loop sensitivity. The L1/E1 signal tracking loop sensitivity can be enhanced by Doppler aiding from L5/E5 signal tracking loop. The low noise L5/E5 signal Doppler aid reduces the noise in the L1/E1 signal tracking loop. Moreover, two frequency signals tracked with common Doppler estimate will have common observation errors, which will get cancel in linear combination of observations i.e. ionosphere-free, wide-lane etc. Further, code phase observations can be smoothed (Hatch filter) using carrier phase observations. The carrier phase observations are limited by cycle slip. Hence, we have investigated an optimum combination of divergence-free and ionosphere-free pseudorange smoothing using dual-frequency carrier Doppler observations for GPS L1/L5 and Galileo E1/E5 signals. The cycle slip in carrier phase observations can be neglected in carrier Doppler observations. The proposed signal processing architecture incorporated in GPS L1/L5 and Galileo E1/E5 dual frequency receiver will ensure robust signal tracking and minimum pseudorange errors, suitable to a range of high accuracy standalone and code differential positioning applications. The performance of the proposed dual frequency signal processing architecture is evaluated with GPS L1/L5 signals collected from Block-IIF satellites.