A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide positioning, velocity, and time services for civilian applications. A critical step in the positioning process is the acquisition of visible satellites in the sky. Modern GNSS systems, such as Galileo—developed and maintained by the European Union—u...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: He-Sheng Wang, Hou-Yu Wang, Dah-Jing Jwo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Sensors
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/19/6234
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850284356613963776
author He-Sheng Wang
Hou-Yu Wang
Dah-Jing Jwo
author_facet He-Sheng Wang
Hou-Yu Wang
Dah-Jing Jwo
author_sort He-Sheng Wang
collection DOAJ
description Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide positioning, velocity, and time services for civilian applications. A critical step in the positioning process is the acquisition of visible satellites in the sky. Modern GNSS systems, such as Galileo—developed and maintained by the European Union—utilize a new modulation technique known as Binary Offset Carrier (BOC). However, BOC signals introduce multiple side-peaks in their autocorrelation function, which can lead to significant errors during the acquisition process. In this paper, we propose a novel acquisition method based on higher-order cumulants that effectively eliminates these side-peaks. This method is capable of simultaneously acquiring both conventional ranging signals, such as GPS C/A code, and BOC-modulated signals. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through the acquisition of simulated signals, with a comparison to traditional methods. Additionally, we apply the proposed method to real satellite signals to further validate its performance. Our results show that the proposed method successfully suppresses side-peaks, improves acquisition accuracy in weak signal environments, and demonstrates potential for indoor GNSS applications. The study concludes that while the method may increase computational load, its performance in challenging conditions makes it a promising approach for future GNSS receiver designs.
format Article
id doaj-art-1f80a0e1bce241ffbe6a21989b45eaf7
institution OA Journals
issn 1424-8220
language English
publishDate 2024-09-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Sensors
spelling doaj-art-1f80a0e1bce241ffbe6a21989b45eaf72025-08-20T01:47:34ZengMDPI AGSensors1424-82202024-09-012419623410.3390/s24196234A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS SignalsHe-Sheng Wang0Hou-Yu Wang1Dah-Jing Jwo2Department of Communications, Navigation and Control Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Peining Rd., Keelung 202301, TaiwanDepartment of Communications, Navigation and Control Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Peining Rd., Keelung 202301, TaiwanDepartment of Communications, Navigation and Control Engineering, National Taiwan Ocean University, 2 Peining Rd., Keelung 202301, TaiwanGlobal Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) provide positioning, velocity, and time services for civilian applications. A critical step in the positioning process is the acquisition of visible satellites in the sky. Modern GNSS systems, such as Galileo—developed and maintained by the European Union—utilize a new modulation technique known as Binary Offset Carrier (BOC). However, BOC signals introduce multiple side-peaks in their autocorrelation function, which can lead to significant errors during the acquisition process. In this paper, we propose a novel acquisition method based on higher-order cumulants that effectively eliminates these side-peaks. This method is capable of simultaneously acquiring both conventional ranging signals, such as GPS C/A code, and BOC-modulated signals. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through the acquisition of simulated signals, with a comparison to traditional methods. Additionally, we apply the proposed method to real satellite signals to further validate its performance. Our results show that the proposed method successfully suppresses side-peaks, improves acquisition accuracy in weak signal environments, and demonstrates potential for indoor GNSS applications. The study concludes that while the method may increase computational load, its performance in challenging conditions makes it a promising approach for future GNSS receiver designs.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/19/6234GNSSGalileoBOChigher-order cumulant
spellingShingle He-Sheng Wang
Hou-Yu Wang
Dah-Jing Jwo
A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
Sensors
GNSS
Galileo
BOC
higher-order cumulant
title A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
title_full A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
title_fullStr A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
title_full_unstemmed A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
title_short A Cumulant-Based Method for Acquiring GNSS Signals
title_sort cumulant based method for acquiring gnss signals
topic GNSS
Galileo
BOC
higher-order cumulant
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/19/6234
work_keys_str_mv AT heshengwang acumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals
AT houyuwang acumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals
AT dahjingjwo acumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals
AT heshengwang cumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals
AT houyuwang cumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals
AT dahjingjwo cumulantbasedmethodforacquiringgnsssignals