Instantaneous Attitude Determination Based on Original Multi-antenna Observations Using Adaptively Robust Kalman Filtering

Attitude determination directly by carrier phase observation makes optimal use of observation and attitude constraints. The phase models based on misalignment angle and multiplicative quaternion error are derived. The state models for attitude estimation with and without external angular rate sensors are both erected. The attitude errors are estimated by adaptively robust filtering, in which the adaptive factors of ambiguity and attitude error are decided respectively following the idea of multi adaptive factor filtering. The factor of attitude is determined by a three-section function containing Ratio. Adaptively robust filtering makes the best use of constraint and historical information, fusing them in the calculation of float solution. As the accuracy of float solution and the structure of covariance matrix are improved greatly, the fix solution can be searched efficiently using LAMBDA (least-squares ambiguity decorrelation adjustment) method merely, perfectly fulfilling the real-time requirement. Field test of a ship-based three-antenna attitude system is used to validate the proposed method. It is showed that direct attitude determination based on adaptively robust filtering has obvious advantages in efficiency and reliability

An efficiency algorithm on Gaussian mixture UKF for BDS/INS navigation system

To further improve the performance of UKF (Unscented Kalman Filter) algorithm used in BDS/SINS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System/Strap down Inertial Navigation System), an improved GM-UKF (Gaussian Mixture Unscented Kalman Filter) considering non-Gaussian distribution is discussed in this paper. This new algorithm using SVD (Singular Value Decomposition) is proposed to alternative covariance square root calculation in UKF sigma point production. And to end the rapidly increasing number of Gaussian distributions, PDF (Probability Density Function) re-approximation is conducted. In principle this efficiency algorithm proposed here can achieve higher computational speed compared with traditional GM-UKF. And simulation experiment result show that, compared with UKF and GM-UKF algorithm, new algorithm implemented in BDS/SINS tightly integrated navigation system is suitable for handling nonlinear/non-Gaussian integrated navigation position calculation, for its lower computational complexity with high accuracy. Keywords: Gaussian mixture, UKF, Singular Value Decomposition, Integrated navigation, Time complexit

Results and Analysis of BDS Precise Orbit Determination with the Enhancement of Fengyun-3C

Global navigation satellite system occultation sounder (GNOS) Fengyun-3C was launched successfully on September 23, 2013, which carried GPS/BDS receiver for the first time. This provides the convenience to study the enhancement results of low earth orbiter satellite (LEO) to BDS precise orbit determination (POD). First the data characteristics and code observation noise of GNOS are analyzed. Then the enhancement experiments in the case of global and regional ground observation stations layout are processed with four POD schemes: BDS single system, GPS/BDS double system, BDS single system with GNOS observations, GPS/BDS double system with GNOS observations. The precision of BDS orbits and clock are compared via overlapping arcs. Results show that in the case of global station layout the along directional precision of GEO satellite has the biggest improvement, with the improvement percentage 60%. Then the precision of cross direction and the along direction of remaining satellites shows the second biggest improvement. The orbit precision of only BDS POD in part of arcs some satellite even suffers a slight decline. The root mean square (RMS) of overlapping clock difference of visible arcs in GPS/BDS POD experiments is improved 0.1 ns level. As to the experiments of regional station layout with 7 ground observation stations, the orbit and clock overlapping precision and orbit predicting precision are analyzed. Results show that the predicting precision of BDS GEO satellites in the along direction is improved 85%. The remaining also has a substantial improvement, with the average percentage 21.7%. RMS of overlapping clock difference of visible arcs is improved 0.5 ns level

GPS/BDS/Galileo precise orbit determination using triple-frequency uncombined observation model

The navigation satellite of the four global navigation satellite system (GNSS) transmitting multi-frequency signals becomes a prevailing trend. In this contribution, a triple-frequency (TF) uncombined (UC) precise orbit determination (POD) method based on IGS clock datum is developed and its ambiguity resolution strategy is proposed. The hardware delay of carrier phase is divided by time-invariant and variant components. Then the UC observation model is given by re-parameterizing the unknown parameters. The step-by-step ambiguity fixing method, i.e. the extra-wide-lane, wide-lane and narrow-lane ambiguities fixed in sequence, is deduced by using double-differenced ambiguities in a network. With the GPS ⅡF, BDS-2 and Galileo being able to transmit triple-frequency signals, the four POD tests are conducted: ionospheric-free (IF) POD of frequency 1/2, IF POD of frequency 1/3, UC POD of frequency 1/2, UC POD of TF signals. The three metrics of external orbit product, day boundary discontinuities and satellite laser ranging are used to validate the POD product accuracy. Results show that a subtle improvement are received with the addition of the third frequency observations. However, the improvement of GPS TF POD results with respect to L1/L2 POD is about 10%, which may be the signal power of L5 is stronger than that of L2

Satellite precise orbit determination with ionospheric-free strategy using triple-frequency observations

As the development of global navigation satellite system (GNSS), GNSS satellites transmitting multi-frequency signals has become a prevailing trend. However, recently the international GNSS service (IGS) analysis centers still use dual-frequency (DF) observations to derive the orbits, clocks and other products. The additional observations from the third frequency are not considered. We use two DF ionospheric-free (IF) combinations as the observation model, the improvements from the third frequency on orbits, clocks and station positions are assessed. In the carrier phase observation model, the satellite-dependent time-invariant and time-variant components are introduced. The two DF IF observation equations are re-parameterized to make the clock parameter aligned to the IGS clock products, and then the full-rank TF observation model is derived. Based on the strategy of building up extra wide lane, wide lane and narrow lane double-differenced ambiguities, the TF ambiguity resolution (AR) method is deduced. First taking 12 GPS Block IIF satellites as example, three precise orbit determination (POD) schemes, the L1/L2 DF IF POD (denoting as S1), the L1/L5 DF IF POD (denoting as S2), the L1/L2 and L1/L5 TF IF POD (denoting as S3), are processed in two station layouts. Results show that the S3 scheme in two station layouts can obtain the optimal precision. The orbit improvements of S3 with respect to S1 in cases of even and uneven distribution are within 10% and about 10%, respectively. The improvement of clocks RMS is slight, while STD is improved by 6.4% and 10.0%. The improved percentages of S3 vs. S2 are about less one times than that of S3 vs. S1, with the improved percentage of about 5%. Then the BDS-only POD test is processed and the orbits are validated by satellite laser ranging residuals. Results show that comparing with B1/B3 POD, the orbit and clock accuracy of TF POD can be improved. However, the improvement of TF POD comparing to B1/B2 POD is slight or even worse. The possible reason is the inaccuracy antenna phase values

Comparison of attitude determination approaches using multiple Global Positioning System (GPS) antennas

GPS-based attitude system is an important research field, since it is a valuable technique for the attitude determination of platforms. There exist two classes approaches for attitude determination using the GPS. The one determines attitude via baseline estimates in two frames, the other one solves for attitude by incorporating the attitude parameters directly into the GPS measurements. However, comparisons between these two classes approaches have been unexplored. First of all, two algorithms are introduced in detail which on behalf of these two kinds of approaches. Then we present numerical simulations demonstrating the performance of our algorithms and provide a comparison evaluating