GNSS Receiver Correlation for Arbitrary-Power Integrated Signals

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Solution Overview

Problem

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers face complexity in processing integrated signals with arbitrary power allocation, particularly due to the design flexibility of Asymmetric Constant Envelope Binary Offset Carrier (ACE-BOC) multiplexing, which affects signal processing and multipath mitigation techniques.

Innovation Solution

An integrated signal processing unit generates complex rotated samples in parallel or sequentially, utilizing a shift/phase lookup table to select phase rotation and code shift values, allowing for accumulation in bins spanning multiple code chips, enabling effective correlation and multipath mitigation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If ACE-BOC multiplexing is used to provide design flexibility in signal components and power ratios, then service diversity and signal optimization are improved, but signal processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice diversityVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the integrated signal into multiple signal components, each with its own power ratio and modulation parameters. By dividing the complex integrated signal processing into separate component processing stages, the system maintains design flexibility while managing processing complexity through modular architecture

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs parameter changes by dynamically adjusting power ratios, modulation indices, and code chip phases for different signal components. This allows the system to optimize signals for different services (positioning, navigation, timing) while using a unified processing framework that manages complexity through parameterization rather than structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If complex rotated samples are accumulated in parallel in bins spanning multiple code chips, then multipath mitigation accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemultipath mitigation accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extends the correlation processing from traditional single-chip bins to multi-chip bins spanning several code chip periods. This dimensional extension in the time domain allows the system to resolve multipath components by analyzing signal correlations across extended time windows, improving multipath mitigation through additional temporal dimensionality

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary phase rotation and code shifting operations on samples before accumulation in the bins. By pre-processing the samples with estimated phase and code parameters, the system prepares the data in advance for more accurate correlation-based multipath mitigation, reducing the computational burden during the accumulation stage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4191286A1Navigation receiver and method for processing an integrated signal having a plurality of signal components with arbitrary power allocation
Publication Date: 2023.06.07 NOVATEL INC
  • EP4191286A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4191286A1 patent drawingFigure 2A
  • EP4191286A1 patent drawingFigure 2B

AI summary

An integrated GNSS signal having a plurality of signal components with arbitrary power allocation may be processed. In an embodiment, an integrated signal processing unit of a GNSS receiver may generate in parallel complex rotated samples for a sample of the integrated signal. The complex rotated samples (e.g., early and late complex rotated samples) may be accumulated in parallel in a window that spans any arbitrary width that is less than or equal to a number of code chips in a PRN code sequence. In another embodiment, the integrated signal processing unit may sequentially generate complex rotated samples for the sample. The complex rotated samples (e.g., early, punctual, and late complex rotated samples) may be sequentially accumulated in the window. The GNSS receiver may utilize the accumulated complex rotated samples to perform correlation techniques, perform multipath mitigation techniques, and/or track the integrated signal.