GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations
Reliable real-time kinematic (RTK) is crucially important for emerging global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) applications, such as drones and unmanned vehicles. The performance of conventional single baseline RTK (SBRTK) with one reference station degrades greatly in dense, urban environments,...
Main Authors: | , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-09-01
|
Series: | Remote Sensing |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/19/3178 |
_version_ | 1797552345498779648 |
---|---|
author | Jian Wang Tianhe Xu Wenfeng Nie Guochang Xu |
author_facet | Jian Wang Tianhe Xu Wenfeng Nie Guochang Xu |
author_sort | Jian Wang |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Reliable real-time kinematic (RTK) is crucially important for emerging global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) applications, such as drones and unmanned vehicles. The performance of conventional single baseline RTK (SBRTK) with one reference station degrades greatly in dense, urban environments, due to signal blockage and multipath error. The increasing use of multiple reference stations for kinematic positioning can improve RTK positioning accuracy and availability in urban areas. This paper proposes a new algorithm for multi-baseline RTK (MBRTK) positioning based on the equivalence principle. The advantages of the solution are to keep observation independent and increase the redundancy to estimate the unknown parameters. The equivalent double-differenced (DD) observation equations for multiple reference stations are firstly developed through the equivalent transform. A modified Kalman filter with parameter constraints is proposed, as well as a partial ambiguity resolution (PAR) strategy is developed to determine an ambiguity subset. Finally, the static and kinematic experiments are carried out to validate the proposed algorithm. The results demonstrate that, compared with single global positioning system (GPS) and Beidou navigation system (BDS) RTK positioning, the GPS/BDS positioning for MBRTK can enhance the positioning accuracy with improvement by approximately (45%, 35%, and 27%) and (12%, 6%, and 19%) in the North (N), East (E), and Up (U) components, as well as the availability with improvement by about 33% and 10%, respectively. Moreover, the MBRTK model with two and three reference receivers can significantly increase the redundancy and provide smaller ambiguity dilution of precision (ADOP) values. Compared with the scheme-one and scheme-two for SBRTK, the MBRTK with multiple reference receivers have a positioning accuracy improvement by about (9%, 0%, and 6%) and (9%, 16%, and 16%) in N, E, and U components, as well as the availability improvement by approximately 10%. Therefore, compared with the conventional SBRTK, the MBRTK can enhance the strength of the kinematic positioning model as well as improve the positioning accuracy and availability. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:59:42Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-5a37c4e9065b4dc99915ae37a6d611f1 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2072-4292 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-10T15:59:42Z |
publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
record_format | Article |
series | Remote Sensing |
spelling | doaj.art-5a37c4e9065b4dc99915ae37a6d611f12023-11-20T15:23:30ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922020-09-011219317810.3390/rs12193178GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference StationsJian Wang0Tianhe Xu1Wenfeng Nie2Guochang Xu3Institute of Space Science, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, ChinaInstitute of Space Science, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, ChinaInstitute of Space Science, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, ChinaInstitute of Space Science, Shandong University, Weihai 264209, ChinaReliable real-time kinematic (RTK) is crucially important for emerging global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) applications, such as drones and unmanned vehicles. The performance of conventional single baseline RTK (SBRTK) with one reference station degrades greatly in dense, urban environments, due to signal blockage and multipath error. The increasing use of multiple reference stations for kinematic positioning can improve RTK positioning accuracy and availability in urban areas. This paper proposes a new algorithm for multi-baseline RTK (MBRTK) positioning based on the equivalence principle. The advantages of the solution are to keep observation independent and increase the redundancy to estimate the unknown parameters. The equivalent double-differenced (DD) observation equations for multiple reference stations are firstly developed through the equivalent transform. A modified Kalman filter with parameter constraints is proposed, as well as a partial ambiguity resolution (PAR) strategy is developed to determine an ambiguity subset. Finally, the static and kinematic experiments are carried out to validate the proposed algorithm. The results demonstrate that, compared with single global positioning system (GPS) and Beidou navigation system (BDS) RTK positioning, the GPS/BDS positioning for MBRTK can enhance the positioning accuracy with improvement by approximately (45%, 35%, and 27%) and (12%, 6%, and 19%) in the North (N), East (E), and Up (U) components, as well as the availability with improvement by about 33% and 10%, respectively. Moreover, the MBRTK model with two and three reference receivers can significantly increase the redundancy and provide smaller ambiguity dilution of precision (ADOP) values. Compared with the scheme-one and scheme-two for SBRTK, the MBRTK with multiple reference receivers have a positioning accuracy improvement by about (9%, 0%, and 6%) and (9%, 16%, and 16%) in N, E, and U components, as well as the availability improvement by approximately 10%. Therefore, compared with the conventional SBRTK, the MBRTK can enhance the strength of the kinematic positioning model as well as improve the positioning accuracy and availability.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/19/3178kinematic positioningmulti-baseline solutionequivalence principlemultiple reference stationspositioning availability |
spellingShingle | Jian Wang Tianhe Xu Wenfeng Nie Guochang Xu GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations Remote Sensing kinematic positioning multi-baseline solution equivalence principle multiple reference stations positioning availability |
title | GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations |
title_full | GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations |
title_fullStr | GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations |
title_full_unstemmed | GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations |
title_short | GPS/BDS RTK Positioning Based on Equivalence Principle Using Multiple Reference Stations |
title_sort | gps bds rtk positioning based on equivalence principle using multiple reference stations |
topic | kinematic positioning multi-baseline solution equivalence principle multiple reference stations positioning availability |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/12/19/3178 |
work_keys_str_mv | AT jianwang gpsbdsrtkpositioningbasedonequivalenceprincipleusingmultiplereferencestations AT tianhexu gpsbdsrtkpositioningbasedonequivalenceprincipleusingmultiplereferencestations AT wenfengnie gpsbdsrtkpositioningbasedonequivalenceprincipleusingmultiplereferencestations AT guochangxu gpsbdsrtkpositioningbasedonequivalenceprincipleusingmultiplereferencestations |