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GNSS multipath detection using three-frequency signal-to-noise measurements

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Abstract

A new technique for detecting GNSS multipath interference by comparing signal-to-noise (SNR) measurements on three frequencies is presented. Depending on the phase lag of the reflected signal with respect to the direct signal, multipath interference can be either constructive or destructive, with a commensurate effect on the measured SNR. However, as the phase lag is frequency dependent, the SNR is perturbed differently on each frequency. Thus, by differencing SNR measurements on different frequencies and comparing the result with that obtained in a low-multipath environment, multipath can be detected. Using three frequencies makes the process more robust. A three-frequency SNR-based multipath detector has been developed and calibrated using measurements from GPS Block IIF satellites in a low-multipath environment. The new detector has been tested in a range of urban environments and its multipath detection capability verified by showing that the MP observables oscillate when the new detection statistic is above a threshold value determined using data collected in a low-multipath environment. The new detector is also sensitive to diffraction.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Aled Jones and Cyrus Mills for their help during the data capture phase and Dr Ziyi Jiang for his technical advice and support with the data processing software.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University College London, London, UK

    Philip R. R. Strode & Paul D. Groves

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  1. Philip R. R. Strode
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  2. Paul D. Groves
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Correspondence to Paul D. Groves.

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Strode, P.R.R., Groves, P.D. GNSS multipath detection using three-frequency signal-to-noise measurements. GPS Solut 20, 399–412 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-015-0449-1

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