IMPLEMENTATION OF A STATE-OF-THE-ART GNSS RECEIVER AUTONOMOUS INTEGRITY MONITORING TECHNIQUE

This thesis implements a state-of-the-art solution separation advanced RAIM (ARAIM) algorithm as it is written as reported in the literature. Specifically, a GNSS fault detection and exclusion algorithm for a multi-constellation GNSS was implemented in software and tested against simulated data. RAIM algorithms have been created in many forms over the last couple of decades and are still in development today. The position solution results produced by this ARAIM algorithm were compared to that of a snapshot weighted least squares (WLS) solution in which failed satellites are removed before processing and an WLS solution with no corrections applied. In addition, the difference in position solution between ARAIM and the simulation truth was compared to the ARAIM reported horizontal and vertical protection limits, as well as, the position performance criteria. This thesis also investigates the performance of the exclusion method and how it affects the performance of the overall ARAIM algorithm. The algorithm implemented and tested in this thesis will be used as a basis of comparison for on-going research into robust GNSS processing techniques

An Integrity Framework for Image-Based Navigation Systems

This work first examines fundamental differences between measurement models established for GPS and those of proposed image-based navigation systems. In contrast to single value per satellite GPS pseudorange measurements, image measurements are inherently angle-based and represent pixel coordinate pairs for each mapped target. Thus, in the image-based case, special consideration must be given to the units of the transformations between the states and measurements, and also to the fact that multiple rows of the observation matrix relate to particular error states. An algorithm is developed to instantiate a framework for image-based integrity analogous to that of GPS RAIM. The algorithm is applied cases where the navigation system is estimating position only and then extended to cases where both position and attitude estimation is required. Detailed analysis demonstrates the impact of angular error on a single pixel pair measurement and comparisons from both estimation scenario results show that, from an integrity perspective, there is significant benefit in having known attitude information. Additional work demonstrates the impact of pixel pair measurement relative geometries on system integrity, showing potential improvement in image-based integrity through screening and adding measurements, when available, to the navigation system solution

On the use of a signal quality index applying at tracking stage level to assist the RAIM system of a GNSS receiver

In this work, a novel signal processing method is proposed to assist the Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) module used in a receiver of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) to improve the integrity of the estimated position. The proposed technique represents an evolution of the Multipath Distance Detector (MPDD), thanks to the introduction of a Signal Quality Index (SQI), which is both a metric able to evaluate the goodness of the signal, and a parameter used to improve the performance of the RAIM modules. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method

GNSS Integrity Monitoring assisted by Signal Processing techniques in Harsh Environments

The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) applications are growing and more pervasive in the modern society. The presence of multi-constellation GNSS receivers able to use signals coming from different systems like the american Global Positioning System (GPS), the european Galileo, the Chinese Beidou and the russian GLONASS, permits to have more accuracy in position solution. All the receivers provide always more reliable solution but it is important to monitor the possible presence of problems in the position computation. These problems could be caused by the presence of impairments given by unintentional sources like multipath generated by the environment or intentional sources like spoofing attacks. In this thesis we focus on design algorithms at signal processing level used to assist Integrity operations in terms of Fault Detection and Exclusion (FDE). These are standalone algorithms all implemented in a software receiver without using external information. The first step was the creation of a detector for correlation distortion due to the multipath with his limitations. Once the detection is performed a quality index for the signal is computed and a decision about the exclusion of a specific Satellite Vehicle (SV) is taken. The exclusion could be not feasible so an alternative approach could be the inflation of the variance of the error models used in the position computation. The quality signal can be even used for spoofinng applications and a novel mitigation technique is developed and presented. In addition, the mitigation of the multipath can be reached at pseudoranges level by using new method to compute the position solution. The main contributions of this thesis are: the development of a multipath, or more in general, impairments detector at signal processing level; the creation of an index to measure the quality of a signal based on the detector’s output; the description of a novel signal processing method for detection and mitigation of spoofing effects, based on the use of linear regression algorithms; An alternative method to compute the Position Velocity and Time (PVT) solution by using different well known algorithms in order to mitigate the effects of the multipath on the position domain

Performance of Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) for Maritime Operations

The use of GNSS in the context of maritime applications has evolved during the past. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has defined and published requirements for those applications. Comparing the requirements on the one hand specified by ICAO and on the other hand by IMO, significant differences get obvious. A major focus is on the evaluation of the performance of the integrity algorithms. Also concept drivers are discussed

Integrity monitoring applied to the reception of GNSS signals in urban environments

L’intégrité des signaux GNSS est définie comme la mesure de la confiance qui peut être placée dans l’exactitude des informations fournies par le système de navigation. Bien que le concept d’intégrité GNSS a été initialement développé dans le cadre de l’aviation civile comme une des exigences standardisées par l’Organisation de l’Aviation Civile Internationale (OACI) pour l’utilisation du GNSS dans les systèmes de Communication, Navigation, et Surveillance / Contrôle du Trafic Aérien (CNS/ATM), un large éventail d’applications non aéronautiques ont également besoin de navigation par satellite fiable avec un niveau d’intégrité garanti. Beaucoup de ces applications se situent en environnement urbain. Le contrôle d’intégrité GNSS est un élément clé des applications de sécurité de la vie (SoL), telle que l’aviation, et des applications exigeant une fiabilité critique comme le télépéage basé sur l’utilisation du GNSS, pour lesquels des erreurs de positionnement peuvent avoir des conséquences juridiques ou économiques. Chacune de ces applications a ses propres exigences et contraintes, de sorte que la technique de contrôle d’intégrité la plus appropriée varie d’une application à l’autre. Cette thèse traite des systèmes de télépéage utilisant GNSS en environnement urbain. Les systèmes de navigation par satellite sont l’une des technologies que l’UE recommande pour le Service Européen de Télépéage Electronique (EETS). Ils sont déjà en cours d’adoption: des systèmes de télépéage pour le transport poids lourd utilisant GPS comme technologie principale sont opérationnels en Allemagne et en Slovaquie, et un système similaire est envisagé en France à partir de 2013. À l’heure actuelle, le contrôle d’intégrité GPS s’appuie sur des systèmes d´augmentation (GBAS, SBAS, ABAS) conçus pour répondre aux exigences de l’OACI pour les opérations aviation civile. C´est la raison pour laquelle cette thèse débute par une présentation du concept d’intégrité en aviation civile afin de comprendre les performances et contraintes des systèmes hérités. La thèse se poursuit par une analyse approfondie des systèmes de télépéage et de navigation GNSS en milieu urbain qui permets de dériver les techniques de contrôle d’intégrité GNSS les plus adaptées. Les algorithmes autonomes de type RAIM ont été choisis en raison de leur souplesse et leur capacité d´adaptabilité aux environnements urbains. Par la suite, le modèle de mesure de pseudodistances est élaboré. Ce modèle traduit les imprécisions des modèles de correction des erreurs d’horloge et d’ephemeride, des retards ionosphériques et troposphériques, ainsi que le bruit thermique récepteur et les erreurs dues aux multitrajets. Les exigences d’intégrité GNSS pour l’application télépéage sont ensuite dérivées à partir de la relation entre les erreurs de positionnement et leur effets dans la facturation finale. Deux algorithmes RAIM sont alors proposés pour l’application péage routier. Le premier est l’algorithme basé sur les résidus de la solution des moindres carrés pondérés (RAIM WLSR), largement utilisé dans l’aviation civile. Seulement, un des principaux défis de l’utilisation des algorithmes RAIM classiques en milieux urbains est un taux élevé d’indisponibilité causé par la mauvaise géométrie entre le récepteur et les satellites. C’est pour cela que un nouvel algorithme RAIM est proposé. Cet algorithme, basé sur le RAIM WLSR, est conçu de sorte à maximiser l’occurrence de fournir un positionnement intègre dans un contexte télépéage. Les performances des deux algorithmes RAIM proposés et des systèmes de télépéage associés sont analysés par simulation dans différents environnements ruraux et urbains. Dans tous les cas, la disponibilité du nouvel RAIM est supérieure à celle du RAIM WLSR. ABSTRACT : Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) integrity is defined as a measure of the trust that can be placed in the correctness of the information supplied by the navigation system. Although the concept of GNSS integrity has been originally developed in the civil aviation framework as part of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements for using GNSS in the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system, a wide range of non-aviation applications need reliable GNSS navigation with integrity, many of them in urban environments. GNSS integrity monitoring is a key component in Safety of Life (SoL) applications such as aviation, and in the so-called liability critical applications like GNSS-based electronic toll collection, in which positioning errors may have negative legal or economic consequences. At present, GPS integrity monitoring relies on different augmentation systems (GBAS, SBAS, ABAS) that have been conceived to meet the ICAO requirements in civil aviation operations. For this reason, the use of integrity monitoring techniques and systems inherited from civil aviation in non-aviation applications needs to be analyzed, especially in urban environments, which are frequently more challenging than typical aviation environments. Each application has its own requirements and constraints, so the most suitable integrity monitoring technique varies from one application to another. This work focuses on Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems based on GNSS in urban environments. Satellite navigation is one of the technologies the directive 2004/52/EC recommends for the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), and it is already being adopted: toll systems for freight transport that use GPS as primary technology are operational in Germany and Slovakia, and France envisages to establish a similar system from 2013. This dissertation begins presenting first the concept of integrity in civil aviation in order to understand the objectives and constraints of existing GNSS integrity monitoring systems. A thorough analysis of GNSS-based ETC systems and of GNSS navigation in urban environments is done afterwards with the aim of identifying the most suitable road toll schemes, GNSS receiver configurations and integrity monitoring mechanisms. Receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) is chosen among other integrity monitoring systems due to its design flexibility and adaptability to urban environments. A nominal pseudorange measurement model suitable for integrity-driven applications in urban environments has been calculated dividing the total pseudorange error into five independent error sources which can be modelled independently: broadcasted satellite clock corrections and ephemeris errors, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, receiver thermal noise (plus interferences) and multipath. In this work the fault model that includes all non-nominal errors consists only of major service failures. Afterwards, the GNSS integrity requirements are derived from the relationship between positioning failures and toll charging errors. Two RAIM algorithms are studied. The first of them is the Weighted Least Squares Residual (WLSR) RAIM, widely used in civil aviation and usually set as the reference against which other RAIM techniques are compared. One of the main challenges of RAIM algorithms in urban environments is the high unavailability rate because of the bad user/satellite geometry. For this reason a new RAIM based on the WLSR is proposed, with the objective of providing a trade-off between the false alarm probability and the RAIM availability in order to maximize the probability that the RAIM declares valid a fault-free position. Finally, simulations have been carried out to study the performance of the different RAIM and ETC systems in rural and urban environments. In all cases, the availability obtained with the novel RAIM improve those of the standard WLSR RAIM

Determination of the effects of GPS failures on aviation applications

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Contrôle d intégrité appliqué à la réception des signaux GNSS en environnement urbain

L intégrité des signaux GNSS est définie comme la mesure de la confiance qui peut être placée dans l exactitude des informations fournies par le système de navigation. Bien que le concept d intégrité GNSS a été initialement développé dans le cadre de l aviation civile comme une des exigences standardisées par l Organisation de l Aviation Civile Internationale (OACI) pour l utilisation du GNSS dans les systèmes de Communication, Navigation, et Surveillance / Contrôle du Trafic Aérien (CNS/ATM), un large éventail d applications non aéronautiques ont également besoin de navigation par satellite fiable avec un niveau d intégrité garanti. Beaucoup de ces applications se situent en environnement urbain. Le contrôle d intégrité GNSS est un élément clé des applications de sécurité de la vie (SoL), telle que l aviation, et des applications exigeant une fiabilité critique comme le télépéage basé sur l utilisation du GNSS, pour lesquels des erreurs de positionnement peuvent avoir des conséquences juridiques ou économiques. Chacune de ces applications a ses propres exigences et contraintes, de sorte que la technique de contrôle d intégrité la plus appropriée varie d une application à l autre. Cette thèse traite des systèmes de télépéage utilisant GNSS en environnement urbain. Les systèmes de navigation par satellite sont l une des technologies que l UE recommande pour le Service Européen de Télépéage Electronique (EETS). Ils sont déjà en cours d adoption: des systèmes de télépéage pour le transport poids lourd utilisant GPS comme technologie principale sont opérationnels en Allemagne et en Slovaquie, et un système similaire est envisagé en France à partir de 2013. À l heure actuelle, le contrôle d intégrité GPS s appuie sur des systèmes d augmentation (GBAS, SBAS, ABAS) conçus pour répondre aux exigences de l OACI pour les opérations aviation civile. C est la raison pour laquelle cette thèse débute par une présentation du concept d intégrité en aviation civile afin de comprendre les performances et contraintes des systèmes hérités. La thèse se poursuit par une analyse approfondie des systèmes de télépéage et de navigation GNSS en milieu urbain qui permets de dériver les techniques de contrôle d intégrité GNSS les plus adaptées. Les algorithmes autonomes de type RAIM ont été choisis en raison de leur souplesse et leur capacité d adaptabilité aux environnements urbains. Par la suite, le modèle de mesure de pseudodistances est élaboré. Ce modèle traduit les imprécisions des modèles de correction des erreurs d horloge et d ephemeride, des retards ionosphériques et troposphériques, ainsi que le bruit thermique récepteur et les erreurs dues aux multitrajets. Les exigences d intégrité GNSS pour l application télépéage sont ensuite dérivées à partir de la relation entre les erreurs de positionnement et leur effets dans la facturation finale. Deux algorithmes RAIM sont alors proposés pour l application péage routier. Le premier est l algorithme basé sur les résidus de la solution des moindres carrés pondérés (RAIM WLSR), largement utilisé dans l aviation civile. Seulement, un des principaux défis de l utilisation des algorithmes RAIM classiques en milieux urbains est un taux élevé d indisponibilité causé par la mauvaise géométrie entre le récepteur et les satellites. C est pour cela que un nouvel algorithme RAIM est proposé. Cet algorithme, basé sur le RAIM WLSR, est conçu de sorte à maximiser l occurrence de fournir un positionnement intègre dans un contexte télépéage. Les performances des deux algorithmes RAIM proposés et des systèmes de télépéage associés sont analysés par simulation dans différents environnements ruraux et urbains. Dans tous les cas, la disponibilité du nouvel RAIM est supérieure à celle du RAIM WLSR.Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) integrity is defined as a measure of the trust that can be placed in the correctness of the information supplied by the navigation system. Although the concept of GNSS integrity has been originally developed in the civil aviation framework as part of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requirements for using GNSS in the Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance / Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) system, a wide range of non-aviation applications need reliable GNSS navigation with integrity, many of them in urban environments. GNSS integrity monitoring is a key component in Safety of Life (SoL) applications such as aviation, and in the so-called liability critical applications like GNSS-based electronic toll collection, in which positioning errors may have negative legal or economic consequences. At present, GPS integrity monitoring relies on different augmentation systems (GBAS, SBAS, ABAS) that have been conceived to meet the ICAO requirements in civil aviation operations. For this reason, the use of integrity monitoring techniques and systems inherited from civil aviation in non-aviation applications needs to be analyzed, especially in urban environments, which are frequently more challenging than typical aviation environments. Each application has its own requirements and constraints, so the most suitable integrity monitoring technique varies from one application to another. This work focuses on Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) systems based on GNSS in urban environments. Satellite navigation is one of the technologies the directive 2004/52/EC recommends for the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS), and it is already being adopted: toll systems for freight transport that use GPS as primary technology are operational in Germany and Slovakia, and France envisages to establish a similar system from 2013. This dissertation begins presenting first the concept of integrity in civil aviation in order to understand the objectives and constraints of existing GNSS integrity monitoring systems. A thorough analysis of GNSS-based ETC systems and of GNSS navigation in urban environments is done afterwards with the aim of identifying the most suitable road toll schemes, GNSS receiver configurations and integrity monitoring mechanisms. Receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) is chosen among other integrity monitoring systems due to its design flexibility and adaptability to urban environments. A nominal pseudorange measurement model suitable for integrity-driven applications in urban environments has been calculated dividing the total pseudorange error into five independent error sources which can be modelled independently: broadcasted satellite clock corrections and ephemeris errors, ionospheric delay, tropospheric delay, receiver thermal noise (plus interferences) and multipath. In this work the fault model that includes all non-nominal errors consists only of major service failures. Afterwards, the GNSS integrity requirements are derived from the relationship between positioning failures and toll charging errors. Two RAIM algorithms are studied. The first of them is the Weighted Least Squares Residual (WLSR) RAIM, widely used in civil aviation and usually set as the reference against which other RAIM techniques are compared. One of the main challenges of RAIM algorithms in urban environments is the high unavailability rate because of the bad user/satellite geometry. For this reason a new RAIM based on the WLSR is proposed, with the objective of providing a trade-off between the false alarm probability and the RAIM availability in order to maximize the probability that the RAIM declares valid a fault-free position. Finally, simulations have been carried out to study the performance of the different RAIM and ETC systems in rural and urban environments. In all cases, the availability obtained with the novel RAIM improve those of the standard WLSR RAIM.TOULOUSE-INP (315552154) / SudocSudocFranceF

Theory and development of GPS integrity monitoring system

This thesis discusses various aspects of the integrity monitoring of GPS applied to civil aircraft navigation in different phases of flight. These flight phases include en route, terminal, non-precision approach and precision approach. The thesis includes four major topics: probability problem of GPS navigation service, risk analysis of aircraft precision approach and landing, theoretical analysis of Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) techniques and RAIM availability, and GPS integrity monitoring at a ground reference station. Particular attention is paid to the mathematical aspects of the GPS integrity monitoring system. The research has been built upon the stringent integrity requirements defined by civil aviation community, and concentrates on the capability and performance investigation of practical integrity monitoring systems with rigorous mathematical and statistical concepts and approaches. Major contributions of this research are: • Rigorous integrity and continuity risk analysis for aircraft precision approach. Based on the joint probability density function of the affecting components, the integrity and continuity risks of aircraft precision approach with DGPS were computed. This advanced the conventional method of allocating the risk probability. • A theoretical study of RAIM test power. This is the first time a theoretical study on RAIM test power based on the probability statistical theory has been presented, resulting in a new set of RAIM criteria. • Development of a GPS integrity monitoring and DGPS quality control system based on GPS reference station. A prototype of GPS integrity monitoring and DGPS correction prediction system has been developed and tested, based on the A USN A V GPS base station on the roof of QUT ITE Building

Improved integrity algorithms for integrated GPS/INS systems in the presence of slowly growing errors

GPS is the most widely used satellite navigation system. By design, there is no provision for real time integrity information within the Standard Positioning Service (SPS). However, in safety critical sectors like aviation, stringent integrity performance requirements must be met. This can be achieved using special augmentation systems or at the user sensor level through Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) or both. RAIM, which is considered as the most cost effective method relies on data consistency, and therefore requires redundant measurements for its operation. An external aid to provide this redundancy can be in the form of an Inertial Navigation system (INS). This should enable continued performance even during RAIM holes (when no redundant satellite measurements are available). However, the integrated system faces the risk of failures generated at different levels of the system, in the operational environment and at the user sensor (receiver) level. This thesis addresses integrated GPSIINS architectures, the corresponding failure modes and the sensor level integrity algorithms used to protect users from such failure modes. An exhaustive literature review is conducted to identify the various failure modes. These are then grouped into classes based on their characteristics and a mathematical (failure) model is specified for each class. For the analysis of failures, a simulation of a typical aircraft trajectory is developed, including the capability to generate raw measurements from GPS and the INS. The simulated GPS and INS measurements for the aircraft are used to evaluate the performance of the current integrity algorithms. Their performances are assessed for the most difficult case of failures; slowly growing errors (SGE), and shown to be inadequate (i.e. a considerable period of time is required for detection). This is addressed by developing a new algorithm based on the detection ofthe growth rate ofa typical test statistic (assuming a single failure at a time). Results show that the new algorithm detects slowly growing ramp-type errors faster than the current methods, with a forty percent improvement in the time it takes to detect the worst case SGE. The algorithm is then extended to include detection of multiple SGEs for which a new tightly coupled method referred to as the 'piggyback architecture' is proposed. This method provides the novel capability of detecting all failures including those affecting the INS. The proposed algorithms are validated with real GPS and INS data. In this way, the integrity performance of the integrated system is enhanced against the worst case failures with a detection time that is beneficial for the achievement of stringent time-to-alert requirements. A practical implementation would then comprise of the use of the rate detector algorithm alongside the current methods.Imperial Users onl