A Fast and Accurate LEO Satellite-Based Direct Position Determination Assisted by TDOA Measurements

This paper focuses on the trusted vessel position acquisition using passive localization based on the booming low-earth-orbit(LEO) satellites. As the high signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) reception cannot always be guaranteed at LEO satellites, the recently developed direct position determination(DPD)is adopted. For LEO satellite-based passive localization systems, an efficient DPD is challenging due to the excessive exhaustive search range leading from broad satellite coverage. In order to reduce the computational complexity, we propose a time difference of arrival-assisted DPD(TA-DPD) which minimizes the searching area by the time difference of arrival measurements and their variances. In this way, the size of the searching area is determined by both geometrical constraints and qualities of received signals, and signals with higher SNRs can be positioned more efficiently as their searching areas are generally smaller.Both two-dimensional and three-dimensional passive localization simulations using the proposed TA-DPD are provided to demonstrate its efficiency and validity. The superior accuracy performance of the proposed method, especially at low SNRs conditions, is also verified through the comparison to conventional two-step methods. Providing a larger margin in link budget for satellite-based vessel location acquisition,the TA-DPD can be a competitive candidate for trusted marine location service.

Distributed adaptive direct position determination based on diffusion framework

The conventional direct position determination（DPD） algorithm processes all received signals on a single sensor.When sensors have limited computational capabilities or energy storage,it is desirable to distribute the computation among other sensors.A distributed adaptive DPD（DADPD）algorithm based on diffusion framework is proposed for emitter localization.Unlike the corresponding centralized adaptive DPD（CADPD） algorithm,all but one sensor in the proposed algorithm participate in processing the received signals and estimating the common emitter position,respectively.The computational load and energy consumption on a single sensor in the CADPD algorithm is distributed among other computing sensors in a balanced manner.Exactly the same iterative localization algorithm is carried out in each computing sensor,respectively,and the algorithm in each computing sensor exhibits quite similar convergence behavior.The difference of the localization and tracking performance between the proposed distributed algorithm and the corresponding CADPD algorithm is negligible through simulation evaluations.

A direct position determination method with combined TDOA and FDOA based on particle filter

The localization of a stationary transmitter using moving receivers is considered. The original Direct Position Determination （DPD） methods, with combined Time Difference of Arrival （TDOA） and Frequency Difference of Arrival （FDOA）, do not perform well under low Signal-to-Noise Ratio （SNR）, and worse still, the computation cost is difficult to accept when the computational capabilities are limited. To get better positioning performance, we present a new DPD algorithm that proves to be more computationally efficient and more precise for weak signals than the conventional approach. The algorithm partitions the signal received with the same receiver into multiple non-overlapping short-time signal segments, and then uses the TDOA, the FDOA and the coherency among the short-time signals to locate the target. The fast maximum likelihood estimation, one iterative method based on particle filter, is designed to solve the problem of high computation load. A secondary but important result is a derivation of closed-form expressions of the Cramer-Rao Lower Bound （CRLB）. The simulation results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper outperforms the traditional DPD algorithms with more accurate results and higher computational efficiency, and especially at low SNR, it is more close to the CRLB.

Relative position determination of a lunar rover using the biased differential phase delay of same-beam VLBI

When only data transmission signals with a bandwidth of 1 MHz exist in the rover, the position can be obtained using the differential group delay data of the same-beam very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). The relative position between a lunar rover and a lander can be determined with an error of several hundreds of meters. When the guidance information of the rover is used to determine relative position, the rover's wheel skid behavior and integral movement may influence the accuracy of the determined position. This paper proposes a new method for accurately determining relative position. The differential group delay and biased differential phase delay are obtained from the same-beam VLBI observation, while the modified biased differential phase delay is obtained using the statistic mean value of the differential group delay and the biased phase delay as basis. The small bias in the modified biased phase delay is estimated together with other parameters when the relative position of the rover is calculated. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed using the same-beam VLBI observation data of SELENE. The radio sources onboard the rover and the lander are designed for same-beam VLBI observations. The results of the simulations of the differential delay of the same-beam VLBI observation between the rover and the lander show that the differential delay is sensitive to relative position. An approach to solving the relative position and a strategy for tracking are also introduced. When the lunar topography data near the rover are used and the observations are scheduled properly, the determined relative position of the rover may be nearly as accurate as that solved using differential phase delay data.

Determination of inter-satellite relative position using X-ray pulsars

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that generate pulsed electromagnetic radiation.A new method for intersatellite relative position determination between a global navigation satellite system(GNSS) and spacecraft using X-ray pulsars is proposed in this paper.The geometric model of this method is formulated,and two different resolution algorithms are introduced and analyzed.The phase cycle ambiguity resolution is investigated,and a new strategy is proposed and formulated.Using the direct vector parameters of the pulsar,geometric dilution of precision(GDOP) is studied.It is shown that this method has advantages of simplicity and efficiency,and is able to eliminate the clock errors.The analytical results are verified numerically via computer simulations.

Improved position estimates for the Chinese Deep Space Station Kashi derived by geodetic very long baseline interferometry

A dedicated 24 h S/X dual-band geodetic very long baseline interferometry(VLBI) experiment was conducted in January 2015 with the goal of improving the position estimates for the Chinese Deep Space Station Kashi. Previously, the position estimates had been only accurate to ~20 cm, which is insufficient for future Chinese deep space explorations. The experiment design and data reduction are described with special emphasis on the limited frequency ranges of Kashi for bandwidth synthesis. A narrowed multi-band delay search window based on post-fit residuals was utilized to resolve the sub-ambiguities due to the drop of a frequency channel in fringe fit, which saved ~22% of the observations from the affected baseline. Final position estimates of Kashi were obtained from the global solution by using more than 5300 international VLBI sessions from August 1979 to September 2015, and estimates were found to be accurate to about 10, 25, and 20 mm in the X, Y, and Z components. Various statistical tests were run, and the estimates and precisions are believed to be reliable.

Phase Residual Estimations for PCVs of Spaceborne GPS Receiver Antenna and Their Impacts on Precise Orbit Determination of GRACE Satellites

In-flight phase center systematic errors of global positioning system（GPS） receiver antenna are the main restriction for improving the precision of precise orbit determination using dual-frequency GPS.Residual approach is one of the valid methods for in-flight calibration of GPS receiver antenna phase center variations（PCVs） from ground calibration.In this paper,followed by the correction model of spaceborne GPS receiver antenna phase center,ionosphere-free PCVs can be directly estimated by ionosphere-free carrier phase post-fit residuals of reduced dynamic orbit determination.By the data processing of gravity recovery and climate experiment（GRACE） satellites,the following conclusions are drawn.Firstly,the distributions of ionosphere-free carrier phase post-fit residuals from different periods have the similar systematic characteristics.Secondly,simulations show that the influence of phase residual estimations for ionosphere-free PCVs on orbit determination can reach the centimeter level.Finally,it is shown by in-flight data processing that phase residual estimations of current period could not only be used for the calibration for GPS receiver antenna phase center of foretime and current period,but also be used for the forecast of ionosphere-free PCVs in future period,and the accuracy of orbit determination can be well improved.

Basic performance of BeiDou-2 navigation satellite system used in LEO satellites precise orbit determination

The visibility for low earth orbit（LEO） satellites provided by the BeiDou-2 system is analyzed and compared with the global positioning system（GPS）. In addition, the spaceborne receivers＇ observations are simulated by the BeiDou satellites broadcast ephemeris and LEO satellites orbits. The precise orbit determination（POD） results show that the along-track component accuracy is much better over the service area than the non-service area, while the accuracy of the other two directions keeps at the same level over different areas. However, the 3-dimensional（3D） accuracy over the two areas shows almost no difference. Only taking into consideration the observation noise and navigation satellite ephemeris errors, the 3D accuracy of the POD is about30 cm. As for the precise relative orbit determination（PROD）, the 3D accuracy is much better over the eastern hemisphere than that of the western hemisphere. The baseline length accuracy is 3.4 mm over the service area, and it is still better than 1 cm over the non-service area. This paper demonstrates that the BeiDou regional constellation could provide global service to LEO satellites for the POD and the PROD. Finally, the benefit of geostationary earth orbit（GEO） satellites is illustrated for POD.