System and method for mitigating static carrier-phase multipath effects
AssigneeNovAtel Inc.
InventorsJayanta K. Ray, M. Elizabeth Cannon, Patrick C. Fenton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An antenna array includes a reference antenna and a plurality of closely-spaced secondary antennas for mitigating the effects of multipath signals on a direct signal, each antenna connected to a corresponding receiver which outputs signal data. A computational device uses the post-correlation signal data to estimate the parameters of a virtual reflector and derive correction values for code data, signal noise, and carrier phase.
Claims19
An apparatus for mitigating the effects of multipath signals on a direct signal having a wavelength λ, said apparatus comprising:
- a reference antenna for acquiring the direct and multipath signals;
- a reference receiver connected to said reference antenna, said reference receiver for receiving the acquired direct and multipath signals and for providing a set of reference output data corresponding to the direct and multipath signals acquired by said reference antenna;
- a plurality of (m−1) secondary antennas disposed proximate said reference antenna, said secondary antennas for acquiring the direct and multipath signals;
- a plurality of (m−1) secondary receivers, each said secondary receiver connected to a respective said secondary antenna, said secondary receivers for receiving the direct and multipath signals acquired by said respective secondary antennas and for providing respective sets of secondary output data corresponding to the direct and multipath signals acquired by said respective secondary antennas;
- and
- computational means for receiving said reference output data from said reference receiver and for receiving said (m−1) sets of secondary output data from said secondary receivers, said computational means comprising means for solving simultaneous equations for processing said reference output data and said (m−1) sets of secondary output data to produce a set of multipath parameters.
A method for mitigating the effects of multipath signals on a direct signal, said method comprising the steps of:
- acquiring a plurality of m sets of the direct and multipath signals using a reference antenna with a reference receiver and (m−1) secondary antennas with respective secondary receivers;
- outputting a reference discriminator output signal from said reference receiver;
- outputting a plurality of (m−1) secondary discriminator output signals from said secondary receivers;
- providing said reference discriminator output to a computational device;
- providing said m−1 secondary discriminator output signals to said computational device;
- formulating a set of simultaneous equations from said plurality of m discriminator output signals;
- and
- deriving at least one corrective value by solving said set of simultaneous equations, said at least one corrective value for mitigating the effect of the multipath signals on the direct signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.