GPS satellite clock determination in case of inter-frequency clock biases for triple-frequency precise point positioning

Significant time-varying inter-frequency clock biases (IFCBs) within GPS observations prevent the application of the legacy L1/L2 ionosphere-free clock products on L5 signals. Conventional approaches overcoming this problem are to estimate L1/L5 ionosphere-free clocks in addition to their L1/L2 counterparts or to compute IFCBs between the L1/L2 and L1/L5 clocks which are later modeled through a harmonic analysis. In contrast, we start from the undifferenced uncombined GNSS model and propose an alternative approach where a second satellite clock parameter dedicated to the L5 signals is estimated along with the legacy L1/L2 clock. In this manner, we do not need to rely on the correlated L1/L2 and L1/L5 ionosphere-free observables which complicates triple-frequency GPS stochastic models, or account for the unfavorable time-varying hardware biases in undifferenced GPS functional models since they can be absorbed by the L5 clocks. An extra advantage over the ionosphere-free model is that external ionosphere constraints can potentially be introduced to improve PPP. With 27 days of triple-frequency GPS data from globally distributed stations, we find that the RMS of the positioning differences between our GPS model and all conventional models is below 1 mm for all east, north and up components, demonstrating the effectiveness of our model in addressing triple-frequency observations and time-varying IFCBs. Moreover, we can combine the L1/L2 and L5 clocks derived from our model to calculate precisely the L1/L5 clocks which in practice only depart from their legacy counterparts by less than 0.006 ns in RMS. Our triple-frequency GPS model proves convenient and efficient in combating time-varying IFCBs and can be generalized to more than three frequency signals for satellite clock determination.     

Characterization of periodic variations in the GPS satellite clocks

The clock products of the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Service (IGS) are used to characterize the timing performance of the GPS satellites. Using 5-min and 30-s observational samples and focusing only on the sub-daily regime, approximate power-law stochastic processes are found. The Block IIA Rb and Cs clocks obey predominantly random walk phase (or white frequency) noise processes. The Rb clocks are up to nearly an order of magnitude more stable and show a flicker phase noise component over intervals shorter than about 100 s. Due to the onboard Time Keeping System in the newer Block IIR and IIR-M satellites, their Rb clocks behave in a more complex way: as an apparent random walk phase process up to about 100 s and then changing to flicker phase up to a few thousand seconds. Superposed on this random background, periodic signals have been detected in all clock types at four harmonic frequencies, n × (2.0029 ± 0.0005) cycles per day (24 h coordinated universal time or UTC), for n = 1, 2, 3, and 4. The equivalent fundamental period is 11.9826 ± 0.0030 h, which surprisingly differs from the reported mean GPS orbital period of 11.9659 ± 0.0007 h by 60 ± 11 s. We cannot account for this apparent discrepancy but note that a clear relationship between the periodic signals and the orbital dynamics is evidenced for some satellites by modulations of the spectral amplitudes with eclipse season. All four harmonics are much smaller for the IIR and IIR-M satellites than for the older blocks. Awareness of the periodic variations can be used to improve the clock modeling, including for interpolation of tabulated IGS products for higher-rate GPS positioning and for predictions in real-time applications. This is especially true for high-accuracy uses, but could also benefit the standard GPS operational products. The observed stochastic properties of each satellite clock type are used to estimate the growth of interpolation and prediction errors with time interval.     

GPS民用广播星历中ISC参数精度分析及其对导航定位的影响

2005年起发射的GPS Block IIR-M卫星在L2频率上新增了L2C民用信号,2010年起发射的Block IIF卫星新增了L5频率及L5I、L5Q两种民用信号。为此,GPS民用广播星历在原有时间群延迟(TGD)参数的基础上,新增了ISC_(C/A)、ISC_(L2C)、ISC_(L5I)及ISC_(L5Q)4种ISC(inter-signal correction)参数,以服务GPS实时导航定位用户。本文给出了ISC参数在GPS单/双频定位中的改正方法、利用不同机构提供的后处理差分码偏差(DCB)产品评估了ISC参数的实际精度、研究了ISC参数对GPS民用导航定位精度的影响。在明确TGD、ISC和DCB 3类参数之间区别与联系的基础上,本文研究表明:GPS广播的ISC_(C/A)参数精度可达0.2ns,TGD、ISCL2C及ISCL5Q参数精度可达0.5ns;以2014年连续11d全球12个MGEX(multi-GNSS experiment)站为例,经由ISC参数改正后,GPS L2C单频标准单点定位(SPP)的位置解精度提高了30.6%,L1C/A+L2C双频SPP的位置解精度提高了12.2%,该精度与L1P(Y)+L2P(Y)消电离层组合SPP的位置解精度相当。     

Initial assessment of the COMPASS/BeiDou-3: new-generation navigation signals

The successful launch of five new-generation experimental satellites of the China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, namely BeiDou I1-S, I2-S, M1-S, M2-S, and M3-S, marks a significant step in expanding BeiDou into a navigation system with global coverage. In addition to B1I (1561.098 MHz) and B3I (1269.520 MHz) signals, the new-generation BeiDou-3 experimental satellites are also capable of transmitting several new navigation signals in space, namely B1C at 1575.42 MHz, B2a at 1176.45 MHz, and B2b at 1207.14 MHz. For the first time, we present an initial characterization and performance assessment for these new-generation BeiDou-3 satellites and their signals. The L1/L2/L5 signals from GPS Block IIF satellites, E1/E5a/E5b signals from Galileo satellites, and B1I/B2I/B3I signals from BeiDou-2 satellites are also evaluated for comparison. The characteristics of the B1C, B1I, B2a, B2b, and B3I signals are evaluated in terms of observed carrier-to-noise density ratio, pseudorange multipath and noise, triple-frequency carrier-phase ionosphere-free and geometry-free combination, and double-differenced carrier-phase and code residuals. The results demonstrate that the observational quality of the new-generation BeiDou-3 signals is comparable to that of GPS L1/L2/L5 and Galileo E1/E5a/E5b signals. However, the analysis of code multipath shows that the elevation-dependent code biases, which have been previously identified to exist in the code observations of the BeiDou-2 satellites, seem to be not obvious for all the available signals of the new-generation BeiDou-3 satellites. This will significantly benefit precise applications that resolve wide-lane ambiguity based on Hatch–Melbourne–Wübbena linear combinations and other applications such as single-frequency precise point positioning (PPP) based on the ionosphere-free code–carrier combinations. Furthermore, with regard to the triple-frequency carrier-phase ionosphere-free and geometry-free combination, it is found that different from the BeiDou-2 and GPS Block IIF satellites, no apparent bias variations could be observed in all the new-generation BeiDou-3 experimental satellites, which shows a good consistency of the new-generation BeiDou-3 signals. The absence of such triple-frequency biases simplifies the potential processing of multi-frequency PPP using observations from the new-generation BeiDou-3 satellites. Finally, the precise relative positioning results indicate that the additional observations from the new-generation BeiDou-3 satellites can improve ambiguity resolution performance with respect to BeiDou-2 only positioning, which indicates that observations from the new-generation BeiDou-3 satellites can contribute to precise relative positioning.     

Improved relativistic transformations in GPS

For GPS satellite clocks, a nominal (hardware) frequency offset and a conventional periodic relativistic correction derived as a dot product of the satellite position and velocity vectors, are used to compensate the relativistic effects. The conventional hardware clock rate offset of 38,575.008 ns/day corresponds to a nominal orbit semi-major axis of about 26,561,400 m. For some of the GPS satellites, the departures from the nominal semi-major axis can cause an apparent clock rate up to 10 ns/day. GPS orbit perturbations, together with the earth gravity field oblateness, which is largely responsible for the orbit perturbations, cause the standard GPS relativistic transformations to depart from the rigorous relativity transformation by up to 0.2 ns/day. In addition, the conventional periodic relativistic correction exhibits periodic errors with amplitudes of about 0.1 and 0.2 ns, with periods of about 6 h and 14 days, respectively. Using an analytical integration of the gravity oblateness term (J₂), a simple analytical approximation was derived for the apparent clock rate and the 6-h periodic errors of the standard GPS gravity correction. For daily linear representations of GPS satellite clocks, the improved relativistic formula was found to agree with the precise numerical integration of the GPS relativistic effects within about 0.015 ns. For most of the Block IIR satellites, the 6-h periodical errors of the GPS conventional relativistic correction are already detectable in the recent IGS final clock combinations.     

卫星精密定轨的三频观测量IF组合法

随着全球卫星导航系统的发展,GNSS卫星发播多频观测量已成必然趋势。然而,目前IGS分析中心依然使用双频观测量的策略进行轨道、钟差等产品的解算,并没有顾及额外频点观测量对定轨产品带来的效益。本文使用两个双频无电离层组合（IF）作为观测模型,研究第三频点观测量对轨道、钟差及测站位置精度的改善。在观测方程中将卫星端的相位偏差分成时变和时不变分量,通过对两个IF组合的观测方程进行参数重组,推导了与IGS钟差产品基准一致的满秩观测模型。基于超宽巷、宽巷和窄巷双差模糊度构建策略,给出了三频观测量的模糊度固定方法。首先以12颗GPS Block IIF卫星为例,在两种测站布局情况下进行L1/L2 IF双频定轨（S1）、L1/L5 IF双频定轨（S2）、L1/L2和L1/L5两个IF组合的三频定轨（S3）试验。结果表明S3方案最优,测站均匀、不均匀情况下轨道结果S3相较S1分别改善10%以内、10%左右,钟差的RMS略有改善,STD分别改善6.4%、10.0%,而S3相较S2的改善幅度更小,改善百分比基本在5%以内。随后进行了BDS单系统定轨,并使用激光检核轨道,表明三频定轨较B1/B3定轨结果改善显著,但是较B1/B2方案结果改善微弱,可能的原因是天线相位中心误差改正值不准确。     

Characteristics of inter-frequency clock bias for Block IIF satellites and its effect on triple-frequency GPS precise point positioning

GPS Solutions - The latest generation of GPS satellites, termed Block IIF, provides a new L5 signal. Multi-frequency signals open new prospects for precise positioning and fast ambiguity resolution...     

Short-term analysis of GNSS clocks

A characterization of the short-term stability of the atomic frequency standards onboard GNSS satellites is presented. Clock performance is evaluated using two different methods. The first method derives the temporal variation of the satellite’s clock from a polynomial fit through 1-way carrier-phase measurements from a receiver directly connected to a high-precision atomic frequency standard. Alternatively, three-way measurements using inter-station single differences of a second satellite from a neighboring station are used if the receiver’s clock stability at the station tracking the satellite of interest is not sufficient. The second method is a Kalman-filter-based clock estimation based on dual-frequency pseudorange and carrier-phase measurements from a small global or regional tracking network. Both methods are introduced and their respective advantages and disadvantages are discussed. The analysis section presents a characterization of GPS, GLONASS, GIOVE, Galileo IOV, QZSS, and COMPASS clocks based on these two methods. Special focus has been set on the frequency standards of new generation satellites like GPS Block IIF, QZSS, and IOV as well as the Chinese COMPASS/BeiDou-2 system. The analysis shows results for the Allan deviation covering averaging intervals from 1 to 1,000 s, which is of special interest for real-time PPP and other high-rate applications like processing of radio-occultation measurements. The clock interpolation errors for different sampling rates are evaluated for different types of clocks and their effect on PPP is discussed.     

Monitoring selective availability dither frequencies and their effect on GPS data

Summary The signals transmitted by Block II satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS) can be degraded to limit the highest accuracy of the system (10 m or better point positioning) to authorized users. This mode of degraded operation is called Selective Availability (S/A). S/A involves the degradation in the quality of broadcast orbits and satellite clock dithering. We monitored the dithered satellite oscillator and investigated the effect of this clock dithering on high accuracy relative positioning. The effect was studied over short 3-meter and zero-baselines with two GPS receivers. The equivalent S/A effects for baselines ranging from 0 to >10,000 km can be examined with short test baselines if the receiver clocks are deliberately mis-synchronized by a known and varying amount. Our results show that the maximum effect of satellite clock dithering on GPS double difference phase residuals grows as a function of the clock synchronization error according to: S/A _effect =0.04 cm/msec, and it increases as a function of baseline length like: S/A _effect =0.014 cm/100 km. These are equations for maximum observed values of post-fit residuals due to S/A. The effect on GPS baselines is likely to be smaller than the 0.14 mm for a baseline separation of 100 km. We therefore conclude, for our limited data set, and for the level of S/A during our tests, that S/A clock dithering has negligible effect on all terrestrial GPS baselines if double difference processing techniques are employed and if the GPS receivers remain synchronized to better than 10 msec. S/A may constitute a problem, however, if accurate point processing is required, or if GPS receivers are not synchronized. We suggest and test two different methods to monitor satellite frequency offsets due to S/A. S/A modulates GPS carrier frequencies in the range of-2 Hz to +2 Hz over time periods of several minutes. The methods used in this paper to measure the satellite clock dither could be applied by the civilian GPS community to continuously monitor S/A clock dithering. The monitored frequencies may aid high accuracy point positioning applications in a postprocessing mode (Malys and Ortiz 1989), and differential GPS with poorly synchronized receivers (Feigl et al. 1991).     

An investigation of GNSS atomic clock behavior at short time intervals

A technique for obtaining clock measurements from individual GNSS satellites at short time intervals is presented. The methodology developed in this study allows for accurate satellite clock stability analysis without an ultra-stable clock at the ground receiver. Variations in the carrier phase caused by the satellite clock are isolated using a combination of common GNSS carrier-phase processing techniques. Furthermore, the white phase variations caused by the thermal noise of the collection and processing equipment are statistically modeled and removed, allowing for analysis of clock performance at subsecond intervals. Allan deviation analyses of signals collected from GPS and GLONASS satellites reveal distinct intervals of clock noise for timescales less than 100 s. The clock data collected from GPS Block IIA, IIR, IIR-M, and GLONASS satellites reveal similar stability performance at time periods greater than 20 s. The GLONASS clock stability in the 0.6–10 s range, however, is significantly worse than GPS. Applications that rely on ultra-stable clock behavior from the GLONASS satellites at these timescales may therefore require high-rate corrections to estimate and remove oscillator-based errors in the carrier phase.     

Performance of the BDS3 experimental satellite passive hydrogen maser

Various types of onboard atomic clocks such as rubidium, cesium and hydrogen have different frequency accuracies and frequency drift rate characteristics. A passive hydrogen maser (PHM) has the advantage of low-frequency drift over a long period, which is suitable for long-term autonomous satellite time keeping. The third generation of Beidou Satellite Navigation System (BDS3) is equipped with PHMs which have been independently developed by China for their IGSO and MEO experimental satellites. Including Galileo, it is the second global satellite navigation system that uses PHM as a frequency standard for navigation signals. We briefly introduce the PHM design at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) and detailed performance evaluation of in-orbit PHMs. Using the high-precision clock values obtained by satellite-ground and inter-satellite measurement and communication systems, we analyze the frequency stability, clock prediction accuracy and clock rate variation characteristics of the BDS3 experimental satellites. The results show that the in-orbit PHM frequency stability of the BDS3 is approximately 6 × 10^?15 at 1-day intervals, which is better than those of other types of onboard atomic clocks. The BDS3 PHM 2-, 10-h and 7-day clock prediction precision values are 0.26, 0.4 and 2.2 ns, respectively, which are better than those of the BDS3 rubidium clock and most of the GPS Block IIF and Galileo clocks. The BDS3 PHM 15-day clock rate variation is ? 1.83 × 10^?14 s/s, which indicates an extremely small frequency drift. The 15-day long-term stability results show that the BDS3 PHM in-orbit stability is roughly the same as the ground performance test. The PHM is expected to provide a highly stable time and frequency standard in the autonomous navigation case.     

GNSS星载原子钟性能评估

星载原子钟作为导航卫星上维持时间尺度的关键载荷,其性能会对用户进行导航、定位与授时的精度带来影响。介绍了原子钟评估常用的三个指标（频率准确度、飘移率和稳定度）的定义及计算方法,利用事后卫星精密钟差数据,开展了全球卫星导航系统（global navigation satellite system,GNSS）星载原子钟性能评估,分析了GNSS星载原子钟特性。结果表明,GPS（global position system）BLOCKIIF星载铷钟与Galileo星载氢钟综合性能最优;北斗系统中地球轨道卫星与倾斜同步轨道卫星星载原子钟天稳定度达到2~4×10-14量级,与BLOCK IIR卫星精度相当;频率准确度达到1~4×10-11量级;频率漂移率达到10-14量级。     

Joint estimation of GPS/BDS real-time clocks and initial results

We present the joint estimation model for Global Positioning System/BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (GPS/BDS) real-time clocks and present the initial satellite clock solutions determined from 106 stations of the international GNSS service multi-GNSS experiment and the BeiDou experimental tracking stations networks for 1 month in December, 2012. The model is shown to be efficient enough to have no practical computational limit for producing 1-Hz clock updates for real-time applications. The estimated clocks were assessed through the comparison with final clock products and the analysis of post-fit residuals. Using the estimated clocks and corresponding orbit products (GPS ultra-rapid-predicted and BDS final orbits), the root-mean-square (RMS) values of coordinate differences from ground truth values are around 1 and 2–3 cm for GPS-only and BDS-only daily mean static precise point positioning (PPP) solutions, respectively. Accuracy of GPS/BDS combined static PPP solutions falls in between that of GPS-only and BDS-only PPP results, with RMS values approximately 1–2 cm in all three components. For static sites, processed in the kinematic PPP mode, the daily RMS values are normally within 4 and 6 cm after convergence for GPS-only and BDS-only results, respectively. In contrast, the combined GPS/BDS kinematic PPP solutions show higher accuracy and shorter convergence time. Additionally, the BDS-only kinematic PPP solutions using clock products derived from the proposed joint estimation model were superior compared to those computed using the single-system estimation model.     

顾及卫星姿态的多系统精密钟差产品综合

国际GNSS服务(IGS)提供的GPS综合产品被广泛应用于各种高精度科学研究中. 随着各国卫星导航系统的发展,亟需研究针对多系统全球卫星导航系统(GNSS)产品的综合策略. 由于卫星姿态与钟差相互耦合,综合钟差时额外考虑姿态改正将进一步提高综合产品精度,因此研究了一种顾及卫星姿态的GNSS钟差综合策略,改正姿态后GPS综合残差最大可减小80%. 对142个IGS测站进行精密单点定位(PPP)解算发现,综合产品比单个分析中心产品更加稳定,东(E)、北(N)、高(U)方向的动态定位精度最大可提升22.7%、16.7%和18.3%. 相对于未顾及姿态改正的综合产品,顾及姿态改正的综合产品的动态定位精度最大可提升65.3%.      

MADOCA-LEX高频GPS卫星钟差 短期预测精度分析

日本准天顶卫星系统（QZSS）卫星通过L波段实时播发高频全球卫星导航系统（GNSS）精密轨道和钟差产品,为GNSS导航用户提供实时精密单点定位（PPP）服务. 本文以JAXA MADOCA数据中心提供的1 s采样率GPS卫星钟差数据为研究对象,首先采用阿伦方差对卫星钟差的短期稳定性进行评估;然后分别采用一阶多项式、二阶多项式和灰色模型对高频钟差产品进行建模,在5 s,10 s和30 s的拟合窗口内预报后续10 s内钟差,并基于预报残差的均方根误差（RMS）评定不同类型GPS卫星钟差产品的短期预报精度. 基于2020年1月1日-21日连续21天的实时高频钟差统计分析结果表明,不同型号的GPS卫星钟差1 s,5 s和10 s的短期稳定性均能达到10-12量级;对比预报精度显示,10 s以内的拟合窗口采用最简单的一阶多项式最为稳定可靠,10 s延迟预报RMS精度可控制在0.1 ns以内;若采用30 s的拟合窗口,考虑钟差频漂特性的二阶多项式则更为稳定可靠,预报钟差的RMS精度能达到0.15 ns以内．由此可见,本文基于MADOCA-LEX钟差产品的实时预报精度可以满足厘米级PPP的需求．      

卫星钟差单差的小波神网络预报

针对现有卫星钟差预报模型对非平稳过程预报的局限性,提出基于卫星钟差一次差值的小波神经网络预报模型。对在轨卫星钟差求取一次差值的基础上,运用小波神经网络模型预报GPS卫星钟差,同时与GM(1,1)模型预报的结果进行比较。得出BlockΠA Cs短期预报的精度能达到0.690ns,14d预报的精度最差时依然优于1ns;其余稳定性良好的卫星钟,一天预报的结果均要优于0.207ns,预报14d卫星钟差的平均精度优于0.183ns,部分卫星钟差预报精度可以达到0.050ns,预报得到的结果可以达到GPS对实时精密单点定位的要求。     

Relativistic Time Transformations in GPS

Since Selective Availability was permanently switched off on 7 May 2000, most of the GPS satellite clocks have been well behaved. During a 24-h period precise satellite clock solutions, corrected for GPS conventional relativistic corrections, follow straight lines within a few nanoseconds. The linear clock fit RMS for the best satellite clocks are well below the 1-ns level, which is consistent with the nominal stability of the GPS frequency standards. Typically, the GPS satellite clocks show an Allan variance at or below one part in 10¹¹/100 s for the Cesium frequency standards and a few parts in 10¹²/100 s for the Rubidium frequency standards. These results correspond to clock RMSs for 15-min sampling at or below 3 and 0.3 ns, respectively. This already confirms experimentally that the conventional periodic relativity correction of the GPS system, also adopted for all the IGS clock solution products, is precise and correct to 0.6 ns or better. To establish the precision limits of the GPS conventional relativity treatment, the relativistic time transformations of GPS satellite frequency and clocks are critically reviewed, taking into account all the contributions larger than the 10⁻¹⁸ (or 0.001 ns). The conventional GPS relativity treatment was found to be accurate, i. e., correctly modeling the actual relativistic frequency (clock rate) effects of GPS satellites at about the 10⁻¹⁴ level. However, it is also affected by small periodic errors of the same magnitude. The integration of these small periodic frequency relativistic errors gives the approximation errors of the conventional periodic relativistic clock correction with amplitudes of about 0.1 ns and a predominant period equal to a half of the orbital period (∼ 6 h). These approximation errors of the conventional GPS relativistic clock correction are at about the same level as the current precision of the IGS clock solutions. ? 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

几种精密卫星钟差加密方法的比较与分析

卫星钟差是影响GPS高精度单点定位的一个重要因素,通过分析几种加密GPS精密卫星钟差的方法,将加密结果与GFZ(German Research Centre for Geosciences)提供的数据进行比较,并通过精度分析,得出分段线性插值法是加密GPS精密卫星钟差一种较为可靠的方法。     

Analysis of BDS satellite clocks in orbit

The products of Wuhan University with 5-min sampling are used to analyze the characteristics of BeiDou satellite clocks. Two nanoseconds root-mean-square (RMS) variations are obtained for 1-day quadratic fits in the sub-daily region. The relativistic effects of BDS clocks are also studied. General relativity predicts that linear variation of the semimajor axes of geostationary and inclined geosynchronous satellites causes a quadratic clock drift with a magnitude at the 10^?16/day level. The observed drift is higher than what general relativity theory would produce. Several periodic terms are found in the satellite clock variations through spectrum analysis. In order to identify the origin of the BDS clock harmonics, a correlation analysis between the period or amplitude of the harmonics and properties of the satellite orbits is performed. It is found that the period of the harmonics is not exactly equal to the orbit period, but rather the ratio of the orbit period to clock period is almost the same as that of a sidereal day to solar day. The BDS clocks obey white frequency noise statistics for intervals from 300 s to several thousands seconds. For intervals greater than 10,000 s, all the BDS satellites display more complex, non-power-law behavior due to the effects of periodic clock variations.     

Orbit and clock analysis of Compass GEO and IGSO satellites

China is currently focussing on the establishment of its own global navigation satellite system called Compass or BeiDou. At present, the Compass constellation provides four usable satellites in geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) and five satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO). Based on a network of six Compass-capable receivers, orbit and clock parameters of these satellites were determined. The orbit consistency is on the 1–2 dm level for the IGSO satellites and on the several decimeter level for the GEO satellites. These values could be confirmed by an independent validation with satellite laser ranging. All Compass clocks show a similar performance but have a slightly lower stability compared to Galileo and the latest generation of GPS satellites. A Compass-only precise point positioning based on the products derived from the six-receiver network provides an accuracy of several centimeters compared to the GPS-only results.