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Snapshot positioning without initial information

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Abstract

Snapshot techniques are based on computing a position using only a set of digital signal samples captured over some milliseconds. Existing techniques require, in addition to the satellite ephemerides, a rough knowledge of the position and/or time at which the snapshot was captured. We propose a new method to instantaneously compute a snapshot position and time solution without any reference time or position. The method is based on the addition of a fifth unknown to the instantaneous Doppler equations, which accounts for a time difference between the reference time and the measurement time. Using this new system of equations at different initialization times separated by some hours, time uncertainties of days or weeks can be solved. The algorithm has been implemented in a snapshot GPS software receiver in MATLAB, proving that position accuracies of a few meters with time uncertainties of several weeks can be obtained in a few seconds.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Oriol Badia Sole for granting access to the snapshot data captures from his Master’s Thesis at Aalborg University, Prof. Gonzalo Seco-Granados, Prof. Torben Larsen, Prof. Dennis M. Akos, and the Journal anonymous reviewers for their comments. The work presented here is part of the research performed for a Ph.D. degree at Aalborg University. The information and views set out here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of any institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Ignacio Fernández-Hernández

  2. BREY 7/156; EC DG GROW, 1049, Brussels, Belgium

    Ignacio Fernández-Hernández

  3. Samara State Aerospace University, Samara, Russia

    Kai Borre

  4. Vaarstvej 314, 9260, Gistrup, Denmark

    Kai Borre

Authors
  1. Ignacio Fernández-Hernández
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  2. Kai Borre
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Correspondence to Ignacio Fernández-Hernández.

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Fernández-Hernández, I., Borre, K. Snapshot positioning without initial information. GPS Solut 20, 605–616 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-016-0530-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-016-0530-4

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