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GPS Explained

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João Richard
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48 views9 pages

GPS Explained

Uploaded by

João Richard
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF or read online on Scribd
GPS explained ‘Werner Dietmalier BRAVIO Ltda Satellite Navigation is based on a global network of satellites that transmit radio signals in ‘medium earth orbit. Users of Satelite Navigation are most familiar with the 24 Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites". The United States, who developed and operates GPS, and Russia, who developed a similar system known 2s GLONASS, have offered free use of their respective systems to the international community. The Intemational Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), as well as other intemational user groups, have accepted GPS and GLONASS as the core for an intemational civil satelite navigation capability known as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The basic GPS service provides users with approximately 100-meter accuracy, 95% of the time, anywhere on or near the surface of the earth. To accomplish this, each of the 24 satellites emits signals to receivers that determine their location by computing the difference between the time that a signal is sent and the time It is received. GPS satelites carry atomic clocks that provide extremely accurate time. The time information is placed in the codes broadcast by the satelite 80 that a receiver can continuously determine the time the signal was broadcast. The signal contains data that a receiver uses to compute the locations of the satellites and to make other adjustments needed for accurate positioning. The receiver uses the time difference between the time of signal reception and the broadcast time to compute the distance, or range, from the receiver to the satellite. The receiver must account for propagation delays, or decreases in the signal's speed caused by the ionosphere and the troposphere. With information about the ranges to three satelites and the location of the satelite when the signal was sent, the receiver can compute its own three-dimensional position. An-atomic clock synchronized to GPS is, Tequired in order to compute ranges from these three signals, However, by taking a ‘measurement from a fourth satelite, the receiver avoids the need for an atomic clock. Thus, the receiver uses four satellites to compute latitude, longitude, altitude, and time. GPS is comprised of three segments: the control, space, and user segments. GPS space segment ‘The space segment includes the satellites and the Delta rockets that launch the satellites from ‘Cape Canaveral, in Florida. GPS satellites fly in circular orbits at an altitude of 10,900 nautical tiles (20,200 km) and with a period of 12 hours. The orbits are tilted to the earth's equator by 55 degrees to ensure coverage of polar regions. Powered by solar cells, the satellites continuously orient themselves to point their solar panels toward the sun and their antenna toward the earth. Each of the 24 satellites, positioned in 6 orbital planes, circles the earth twice aday. GPS navigation signals GPS satellites broadcast three different types of data in the primary navigation signals. The first is the almanac which sends Fmation) with second precision, along with status information about the satellites. The second Is the ephemeris, which contains orbital information that allows the receiver to calculate the position of the satellite at any polnt In time. These bits of data are folded into the 37,500 bit Navigation Message, or NM, which takes 12.5 minutes to send at 50 Hz. The satelites also broadcast two forms of accurate clock information, the Coarse Acquisition code, or C/A, and the Precise code, or P-code. The former is normally used for most civilian ‘navigation. it consists of a 1,023 bit long pseudo-random code broadcast at 1.023 MHz, repeating every milisecond. Each satelite sends a distinct C/A code, which allows them to be identified. The P-code is a similar code broadcast at 10.23 MHz, but it repeats only once per week. In normal operation, the so-called "anti-spoofing mode”, the P code is first encrypted into the Y-code, or P(Y), which can only be decrypted by units with a valid decryption key. All three GPS explained 2116/2006 7:53 16 signals, NM, C/A and P(Y), are mixed together and sent on the primary radio channel, L1, at 1575.42 MHz. The P(Y) signal is also broadcast alone on the L2 channel, 1227.60 MHz. Several additional frequencies are used for unrelated purposes. feat} Calculating positions GPS allows receivers to accurately calculate their distance from the GPS satellites, The receivers do this by measuring the time delay between when the satellite sent the signal and the focal time when the signal was received: This delay, multiplied by the speed of light, gives the distance to that satellite. The receiver also calculates the position of the satellite based on information periodically sent in the same signal. By comparing the two, position and range, the receiver can discover its own location. To calculate its position, a receiver first needs to know the precise time. To do this, it uses an internal crystal oscilator-based clock thet is continually updated by the signals being sent in L1 from various satellites. At that point the receiver identifies the visible satellites by the distinct pattern in their C/A codes. It then looks up the ephemeris data for each satellite, which was captured from the NM and stored in memory, This data is used in a formula that calculates the precise location of the satellites at that point in time. Finally the receiver must calculate the time delay to each satelite. To do this, it produces an Identical C/A sequence from a known seed number. The time delay is calculated by increasingly delaying the local signal and comparing it to the one received from the satellite; at some point the two signals will match up, and that delay is the time needed for the signal to reach the receiver. The delay is generally between 65 and 85 milliseconds. The distance to that satellite ‘can then be calculated directly, the so-called pseudorange. ‘The receiver now has two key pieces of information; an accurate estimate of the position of the satellite, and an accurate measurement of the distance to that satellite. This tells the receiver that it lies on the surface of an imaginary sphere whose radius is that distance, To calculate the precise position, at least four such measurements are taken simultaneously. This places the receiver at the intersection of the four imaginary spheres. Note that since the C/A pattern repeats every millisecond, it can only be used to place the user within 300 km. Thus the multiple measurements are also needed to determine whether or not the receiver has lined up its internal C/A code properiy, or is “one off”. Note that the calculation of the position of the satellite, and thus the time delay and range to it, all depend on the accuracy of the local clock. The satellites themselves are equipped with ‘extremely accurate atomic clocks, but this is not economically feasible for a receiver. Instead, the system takes redundant measurements to re-capture the correct clock information. To understand how this works, consider a local clock that is off by .1 microseconds, or about 30 ™m when converted to distance. When the position is calculated using this clock, the range ‘measurements to each of the satelites will read 30 m too long. In this case the four spheres will not overlap at a point, instead each sphere wil intersect at a different point, resulting in several potential positions about 30 m apart. The receiver then uses a mathematical technique to caloulate the clock error that would produce this offset, in this case .1 microseconds, adjusts the Tange measurements by this amount, and then updates the intemal clock to make it more accurate. ‘This technique can be applied with any four satellites. Commercial receivers therefore attempt to “tune in" as many satellites as possible, and repeatedly make this correction. In doing so, clock errors can be reduced almost to zero. In practice, anywhere from six to ten measurements. ‘are taken in order to round out errors, and civilian receivers generally have 10 to 12 channels in total. Calculating a position with the P(Y) signal is generally similar in concept, assuming one can decrypt it. Note that the encryption is essentially a safety mechanism; if you can successfully

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