Integrating GPS and Pseudolite Signals for Position and Attitude Determination: Theoretical Analysis and Experiment Results

Abstract

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has been widely used in positioning and attitude (orientation) determination (PAD) for a variety of sensor platforms. It is well known that for such satellite-based PAD systems, the accuracy, availability and reliability of the positioning and attitude determination results is heavily dependent on the number and geometric distribution of satellites being tracked. However, in some situations, such as in urban canyons and in deep open-cut mines, the number and geometry of visible satellites may not be sufficient to reliably determine the position and attitude parameters of a platform. Therefore, in order to improve the performance of satellited-based PAD systems, the integration of GPS with other technologies has been extensively investigated. In this paper the authors present details of both theoretical and experimental investigations into the potential integration of GPS and pseudolite technologies for positioning and attitude determination applications. Initial experiments indicate that positioning and attitude determination of a platform using a combination of GPS and pseudolite signals is feasible. The accuracy and reliability of GPS-only position and attitude determination results can be improved.