Distribution of clock correction and ephemeris parameters in broadcast navigation messages

The distribution of clock correction and ephemeris (CCE) parameters in navigation messages broadcast by operational satellite vehicles (SVs) of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is studied. For this purpose, two evaluation metrics are proposed, namely atypical navigation message structures and time to complete CCE sets (TTCS). The evaluation metrics are used to analyze three and a half years of operational Galileo F/NAV and GPS LNAV messages. The study considers arbitrary and healthy-only signal-in-space (SIS) health statuses. The frequently used receiver independent exchange format (RINEX) navigation files are shown to not provide sufficient information to determine the CCE parameters transmitted at every time instance. Due to the identified limitations, binary navigation data collected by a worldwide network of monitoring stations are used for the analysis. During operations, the maximum of the TTCS metric is shown to be impacted by the issue of data (IOD) update periods and structures with mismatched IOD parameters, potentially introducing an additional delay to the time to first fix (TTFF). The message timing requirements of dual-frequency multi-constellation (DFMC) satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) are shown to be in line with the minimum times needed to obtain multiple complete Galileo F/NAV and GPS LNAV CCE sets.

Distributed Nodes-Based Collaborative Sustaining of Precision Clock Synchronization upon Master Clock Failure in IEEE 1588 System

This paper proposes a distributed nodes-based clock synchronization method to sustain sub-microsecond precision synchronization of slave clocks upon master clock failure in IEEE 1588 PTP (precision time protocol) system. The sustaining is achieved by synchronizing the slave clocks to the estimated reference clock which is obtained from the analysis of distributed slave clocks. The proposed method consists of two clock correction functions (i.e., a self-correction and a collaborative correction, respectively). Upon master failure, the self-correction estimates a clock correction value based on the clock model which is constructed during normal PTP operation. The collaborative correction is performed in the preselected management node. The management node estimates a reference clock by collecting and analyzing clock information gathered from the other slave clocks. The performance of the proposed method is simulated by computer to show its usefulness. It is confirmed that the fifty (50) clock model-based collaborative correction maintains 10−6 second PTP accuracy for 10 min prolonged period after the master failure when tested with clock offset variations less than 50 ppm.

CODE IGS reference products including Galileo

<p>The International GNSS service (IGS) has been providing precise reference products for the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) GPS and (starting later) GLONASS since more than 25 years. These orbit, clock correction, coordinate reference frame, troposphere, ionosphere, and bias products are freely distributed and widely used by scientific, administrative, and commercial users from all over the world. The IGS facilities needed for data collection, product generation, product combination, as well as data and product dissemination, are well established. The Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) is one of the Analysis Centers (AC) contributing to the IGS from the beginning. It generates IGS products using the Bernese GNSS Software.</p><p> </p><p>In the last decade new GNSS (European Galileo and Chinese BeiDou) and regional complementary systems to GPS (Japanese QZSS and Indian IRNSS/NAVIC) were deployed. The existing GNSS are constantly modernized, offering - among others - more stable satellite clocks and new signals. The exploitation of the new data and their integration into the existing IGS infrastructure was the goal of the Multi-GNSS EXtension (MGEX) when it was initiated in 2012. CODE has been participating in the MGEX with its own orbit and clock solution from the beginning. Since 2014 CODE’s MGEX (COM) contribution considers five GNSS, namely GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou2 (BDS2), and QZSS. We provide an overview of the latest developments of the COM solution with respect to processing strategy, orbit modelling, attitude modelling, antenna calibrations, handling of code and phase biases, and ambiguity resolution. The impact of these changes on the COM products will be discussed.</p><p> </p><p>Recent assessment showed that especially the Galileo analysis within the MGEX has reached a state of maturity, which is almost comparable to GPS and GLONASS. Based on this finding the IGS decided to consider Galileo in its third reprocessing campaign, which will contribute to the next ITRF. Recognizing the demands expressed by the GNSS community, CODE decided in 2019 to go a step further and consider Galileo also in its IGS RAPID and ULTRA-RAPID reference products. We summarize our experiences from the first months of triple-system (ULTRA)-RAPID analysis including GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo. Finally we provide an outlook of CODE’s IGS analysis with the focus on the new GNSS.</p>

Delay Testing Method for Off-Site Asynchronous LTE Networks Based on Singular Value Removal

This paper presents an experimental campaign of transmission delay measurements under asynchronous condition for the communication-based train control (CBTC) systems. A three-stage asynchronous clock correction method is proposed. Before and after the working stage, the clock difference between transmitter and the receiver is calculated, moreover the relative offset and relative skew between two terminals of the working stage are derived, and it further leads towards the experimental verification of the transmission delay. In order to improve the measurement accuracy, the singular values are distinguished and eliminated in the test. Using this method, the transmission delay of the Long-Term Evolution for Metro (LTE-M) communication between the train and the signalling room in Shanghai Zhangjiang Metro Training Line is measured successfully, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed one-way transmission delay test.

Assessment of Different Real Time Precise Point Positioning Correction Over the Sea Area

In a global scale, the accuracy of Real Time Precise Point Positioning (RT-PPP) method in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) point positioning is within cm to dm level. Unlike other conventional method in GNSS point positioning which used differential data to minimize the error sources, RT-PPP used additional orbit correction, clock correction and other atmospheric correction to minimize the error since RT-PPP is an absolute point positioning method. Currently, there are several providers who give the orbit correction and clock correction in real-time. Not only in the land area, this service can be also used in sea area. Thus, this research aims to analyse the differences in point determination derived from RT-PPP method by using several service providers in sea area. The RT-PPP data acquisition used three different receivers with unique service correction, namely RTX correction from Trimble Net R9 receiver, ATLAS correction from Hemisphere receiver and Veripos correction from Hemisphere receiver. All these antennas were set up on the ship with a controlled distance and the point coordinates were estimated from Seribu Island to Ancol, Jakarta with a different time interval for each receiver due to the technical limitations. To assess the point positioning stability, the distance between each antenna derived from point positioning then evaluated by comparing to its controlled distance. The results indicate that a time lag is found in Trimble Net R9 compared with the others, and it should be corrected first before applying the further analysis. In general, after removing the outliers, the distance and the precision between each antenna between Veripos-ATLAS is 4.472 ± 0.040 m, RTX-ATLAS is 2.054 ± 0.077 m and RTX-Veripos is 3.947 ± 0.060 m. Therefore, RT-PPP method can be used as an alternative in precise point positioning in sea area.

Postprocessing Synchronization of a Laser Scanning System Aboard a UAV

Synchronization of airborne laser scanning devices is a critical process that directly affects data accuracy. This process can be more challenging with low-cost airborne laser scanning (ALS) systems because some device connections from off-the-shelf sensors are less stable. An alternative to synchronization is performing a postprocessing clock correction. This article presents a technique for postprocessing synchronization (off-line) that estimates clock differences based on the correlation between the signals from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) trajectory and the light detection and ranging (lidar) range, followed by refinement with a least-squares method. The correlation between signals was automatically estimated considering the planned flight maneuvers, in a flat terrain, to produce altimetric trajectory variations. Experiments were performed with an Ibeo LUX laser unit integrated with a NovAtel SPAN-IGM-S1 inertial navigation system that was transported by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The planimetric and altimetric accuracies of the point cloud obtained with the proposed postprocessing synchronization technique were 28 cm and 10 cm, respectively, at a flight height of 35 m.

Comparing Digital Phase-Locked Loop and Kalman Filter for Clock Tracking in Ultrawideband Location System

For timing and synchronization system, digital phase-locked loop (DPLL) and Kalman filter all have been widely used as the clock tracking and clock correction schemes for the similar structure and properties. This paper compares the two schemes used for ultrawideband (UWB) location system. The improved Kalman filter is more immune to interference.