Apparatus and method for minimizing multipath signal errors during tracking of GPS satellite signals
US6727846B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 20, 2000 |
| Grant date | Apr 27, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 20, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S19/36
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A digital GPS receiver includes electronics to detect the presence of multipath GPS signals, determine the direction from which they are received at a multi-element GPS phased array antenna, adaptively generate an antenna pattern to provide gain in the direction of the desired GPS satellite signal, and to apply nulls in the direction of the detected GPS multipath signals. This adaptively-generated antenna pattern is applied to the signals received at the elements of the GPS phased array antenna to provide a composite signal to each of the processing channels of the digital GPS receiver, optimized for the particular GPS satellite being tracked by a corresponding channel. The undesirable multipath GPS signals are thereby excised from the inputs to the processing channels of the digital GPS receiver, and the desired direct signal is reinforced, thus enabling tracking loops within the digital GPS receiver to make highly accurate observations of the code and carrier phase using conventional signal processing techniques.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.