The principle of the positioning system based on communication satellites

It is a long dream to realize the communication and navigation functionality in a satellite system in the world. This paper introduces how to establish the system, a positioning system based on communication satellites called Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS). Instead of the typical navigation satellites, the communication satellites are configured firstly to transfer navigation signals from ground stations, and can be used to obtain service of the positioning, velocity and time, and to achieve the function of navigation and positioning. Some key technique issues should be first solved; they include the accuracy position determination and orbit prediction of the communication satellites, the measuring and calculation of transfer time of the signals, the carrier frequency drift in communication satellite signal transfer, how to improve the geometrical configuration of the constellation in the system, and the integration of navigation & communication. Several innovative methods are developed to make the new system have full functions of navigation and communication. Based on the development of crucial techniques and methods, the CAPS demonstration system has been designed and developed. Four communication satellites in the geosynchronous orbit (GEO) located at 87.5°E, 110.5°E, 134°E, 142°E and barometric altimetry are used in the CAPS system. The GEO satellites located at 134°E and 142°E are decommissioned GEO (DGEO) satellites. C-band is used as the navigation band. Dual frequency at C1=4143.15 MHz and C2=3826.02 MHz as well as dual codes with standard code (CA code and precision code (P code)) are adopted. The ground segment consists of five ground stations; the master station is in Lintong, Xi’an. The ground stations take a lot of responsibilities, including monitor and management of the operation of all system components, determination of the satellite position and prediction of the satellite orbit, accomplishment of the virtual atomic clock measurement, transmission and receiving navigation signals to and from each satellite. In the north, the south, the east, the west and the center of Chinese main land, the function of CAPS demonstration system is checked and measured. In cars and on board the system is also checked and measured. The results are as follow: CA-code, horizontal positioning accuracy, 15–25 m (1 σ), vertical, 1–3 m; P-code, horizontal positioning accuracy, 8–10 m (1 σ), vertical, 1–3 m; velocity accuracy, CA-code, 0.13–0.30 m/s, P-code, 0.15–0.17 m/s; time accuracy, CA-code, 160 ns, P-code, 13 ns; determination accuracy of orbit ≤2 m. About 20 million US $ and two years are spent for the development of demonstration. A complete CAPS system is now being established. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10453001), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2004AA105030), and the Funds of the Chinese Academy of Sciences for Key Topics in Innovation Engineering (Grant No. KGCXI-21)     

Signal structure of the Chinese Area Positioning System

Proper signal structure is very important in the navigation, positioning, and time services of a satellite navigation system. In this paper, the carrier wave characteristics, ranging code functions, BOC modulation, navigation data rate, the error-correcting methods, and signal channel resource allocation are discussed in terms of the technical characteristics of the transforming satellite navigation system and the resources of communication satellites. The results show that dual-frequency of C band in the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS), compound ranging code, a combination of the coarse code and precise code, BOC modulation, separate-channel transmission of different users are compatible with the satellite navigation system at present. The experiments show that the current signal structure can meet the demand of CAPS. Supported by the Major Knowledge Innovation Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KGCX1-21), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2004AA105030), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10453001), and the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815502)     

Satellite virtual atomic clock with pseudorange difference function

Satellite atomic clocks are the basis of GPS for the control of time and frequency of navigation signals. In the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS), a satellite navigation system without the satellite atomic clocks onboard is successfully developed. Thus, the method of time synchronization based on satellite atomic clocks in GPS is not suitable. Satellite virtual atomic clocks are used to implement satellite navigation. With the satellite virtual atomic clocks, the time at which the signals are transmitted from the ground can be delayed into the time that the signals are transmitted from the satellites and the pseudorange measuring can be fulfilled as in GPS. Satellite virtual atomic clocks can implement the navigation, make a pseudorange difference, remove the ephemeris error, and improve the accuracy of navigation positioning. They not only provide a navigation system without satellite clocks, but also a navigation system with pseudorange difference. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815502) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007AA12Z300)     

Functions of retired GEO communication satellites in improving the PDOP value of CAPS

This paper briefly introduces the maneuverable feature of the slightly inclined geosynchronous orbit (SIGSO) satellites under a new control model degraded from the geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communication satellites which will retire as most of the fuel in these satellites has been consumed. Basing on the transmitting Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS), the authors, by analyses, indicate that such satellites can make an improvement to CAPS constellation configuration, especially to the PDOP value from simulation. The results show that the use of SIGSO satellites can (1) actualize three-dimensional (3D) navigation and positioning compared with the situation, which, only using GEO satellites, cannot be carried out, and improve navigation and positioning accuracy to some extent; (2) reuse the communication services of these satellites for more years, and GEO communication satellites will be retired at a later time and delay their time to become space debris and reduce their pollution of the space environment, so that valuable space resources are maximally used. As for the use of these satellites in the transmitting positioning system, the authors present some views and suggestions in this work. Supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815501) and the Chinese National Programs for High Technology Research and Development (Grant No. 2007AA12z343)     

Selection of satellite constellation framework of CAPS

Based on the idea of transmitting the satellite navigation and positioning system, taking the distribution and variation of the Position Dilution of Precision factor (PDOP), which is closely related with the precision of navigation and positioning, within the China area as the primary criterion, we analyze and discuss the tentative plan of constellation configuration consisting of geosynchronous orbit (GEO) communication satellites and inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites for the transmitting Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS). We emphatically consider the effect on the PDOP by the three major orbit parameters including the inclination, eccentricity and right ascension of the ascending node (RAAN) of IGSO satellites, to research the strategies of the constellation configuration of CAPS through software emulation. Various constellation configurations are analyzed and compared and the results show that the constellation configuration, consisting of three IGSO communication satellites in three orbits with the same inclination as 50°, the difference in RAAN as 120° and the same “8” shaped ground track centered near 115°E and four or five GEO communication satellites within 60°E to 150°E, can satisfy the requirement that Chinese domain is availably covered and the navigation and positioning with high precision could be obtained. Three relatively excellent constellation configurations are initially suggested and some concerned issues are discussed in this work. Supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815501) and the Chinese National Programs for High Technology Research and Development (Grant No. 2007AA12z343)     

The solutions of navigation observation equations for CAPS

Chinese scientists invent the navigation and positioning system based on commercial communications satellites and develop them successfully into China Area Positioning System (CAPS). In principle, this system is different from the GPS broadcasting satellite navigation class, where the propagation epoch of original navigation signals for pseudo-range measurement is from a ground master control station rather than from satellite transponders. This paper addresses the establishment of the three observation equation models for the navigation and positioning system based on communications satellites, and expresses them identically to operator equations and optimized models. Furthermore, both algorithms of the linear solution for the observable characteristic equation and the least-squares solution for the condition number more than 4 are discussed, with several methods for the exact solution, such as improving the behavior of coefficient matrices, right estimation for the weighted right hand side and selection of iteration forms of solutions, and the influence of the condition number on improving navigation and positioning accuracy is also analyzed carefully. Hopefully, all the works would be contributive to further development of the navigation and positioning system based on communications satellites, and be potentially valuable to other satellite navigation and positioning systems. Supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500)     

Time synchronization and carrier frequency control of CAPS navigation signals generated on the ground

The Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) works without atomic clocks on the satellite, and the CAPS navigation signals transmitted on the ground may achieve the same effect as that with high-performance atomic clocks on the satellite. The primary means of achieving that effect is through the time synchronization and carrier frequency control of the CAPS navigation signals generated on the ground. In this paper the synchronization requirements of different time signals are analyzed by the formation of navigation signals, and the theories and methods of the time synchronization of the CAPS navigation signals generated on the ground are also introduced. According to the conditions of the high-precision satellite velocity-measurement signal source, the carrier frequency and its chains of the navigation signals are constructed. CAPS velocity measurement is realized by the expected deviation of real time control to the carrier frequency, and the precision degree of this method is also analyzed. The experimental results show that the time synchronization precision of CAPS generating signals is about 0.3 ns and the precision of the velocity measurement signal source is about 4 cm/s. This proves that the theories and methods of the generating time synchronization and carrier frequency control are workable. Supported by the Major Knowledge Innovation Programs of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KGCX1-21), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2004AA105030 and 2006AA12Z314), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10453001), and the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815502)     

A new method of ionospheric-free hybrid differential positioning based on a double-antenna CAPS receiver

Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) is a transmitted satellite navigation system moved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Three basic modes of navigation and positioning with CAPS are given, and then a comparative analysis is made in this paper. In terms of the principle that the ionospheric delay is at an inverse ratio to the frequency square, a new ionospheric-free positioning method based on a double-antenna CAPS receiver is put forward. Then the hybrid differential observations and the solving equations and algorithms for one epoch and multi epochs are deduced according to the basic principle of the method. The method may remove the global errors in signal emission, propagation, transmission and receiving (e.g., ionospheric delay, hardware delay, and clock error). So it is very convenient for the single-epoch solution and multi-epoch navigation and positioning, and may efficiently improve the precision of real time CAPS navigation. Furthermore, the method can be used not only for the geometric orbit determination of CAPS GEO and IGSO satellites and the navigation and positioning, but also for the estimation of the tropospheric zenith delay, which is useful for the study of water vapor changes in the atmosphere. Polynomials are used in this method to express the tropospheric zenith delay and CAPS satellite orbits within the limited time interval, which reduces the number of unknown parameters and thus speeds the computation. Supported by the Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KGCX1-21), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500), the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2006AA12z303), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40774009), and the Special Project of Taishan Scholars of Shandong Province of China (Grant No. TSXZ0502)     

Multi-life cycles utilization of retired satellites

Retired geosynchronous (GEO) communication satellites affect the GEO orbit environment in outer space. According to the new concept of modern design, the authors propose creatively a method of reusing retired GEO communication satellites, through adjusting retired GEO satellites to slightly inclined orbit geosynchronous (SIGSO) satellites. After these retired satellites are applied to the navigation and communication system, integrity of navigation system and positioning accuracy of the system is improved. Meanwhile, some transponders on these retired satellites can be used to establish a new satellite communication service, and initiate the study and utilization of the multi-life cycle for retired satellites. Experimental results show that this project has significant social value and can make remarkable economic benefit. Supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815501) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007AA12z343)     

GPS/CAPS dual-mode software receiver

The positioning of the GPS or Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) software receiver was developed on a software receiver platform. The structure of the GPS/CAPS dual-mode software receiver was put forward after analyzing the differences in the satellite identification, ranging code, spread spectrum, coordinate system, time system, carrier band, and navigation data between GPS and CAPS. Based on Matlab software on a personal computer, baseband signal processing and positioning procedures were completed using real GPS and CAPS radio frequency signals received by two antennas. Three kinds of experiments including GPS positioning, CAPS positioning, and GPS/CAPS positioning were carried out. Stability and precision of the results were analyzed and compared. The experimental results show that the precision of CAPS is similar to that of GPS, while the positioning precision of the GPS/CAPS dual-mode software receiver is 1–2 m higher than that of CAPS or GPS. The smallest average variance of the positioning can be obtained by using the GPS/CAPS dual-mode software receiver. Supported by the National Basic Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007AA12z343)     

Barometric altimetry system as virtual constellation applied in CAPS

This work describes the barometric altimetry as virtual constellation applied to the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS), which uses the transponders of communication satellites to transfer navigation messages to users. Barometric altimetry depends on the relationship of air pressure varying with altitude in the Earth’s atmosphere. Once the air pressure at a location is measured the site altitude can be found. This method is able to enhance and improve the availability of three-dimensional positioning. The difficulty is that the relation between barometric pressure and altitude is variable in different areas and under various weather conditions. Hence, in order to obtain higher accuracy, we need to acquire the real-time air pressure corresponding to an altimetric region’s reference height. On the other hand, the altimetry method will be applied to satellite navigation system, but the greatest difficulty lies in how to get the real-time air pressure value at the reference height in the broad areas overlaid by satellite navigation. We propose an innovational method to solve this problem. It is to collect the real-time air pressures and temperatures of the 1860 known-altitude weather observatories over China and around via satellite communication and to carry out time extrapolation forecast uniformly. To reduce data quantity, we first partition the data and encode them and then broadcast these information via navigation message to CAPS users’ receivers. Upon the interpolations being done in receivers, the reference air pressure and temperature at the receiver’s nearby place is derived. Lastly, combing with the receiver-observed real air pressure and temperature, the site’s altitude can be determined. The work is presented in the following aspects: the calculation principle, formulae, data collection, encoding, prediction, interpolation method, navigation message transmission together with errors causes and analyses. The advantages and shortcomings of the technique are discussed at the end. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500), the National High Technology Research and Development Program (Grant No. 2004AA105030), the Pilot Project of the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KGCX1-21), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10453001)     

Analysis on the positioning precision of CAPS

As a newly developed satellite positioning system, the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) is a typical direct sequence spread spectrum ranging system like GPS. The positioning precision of such navigation signals depends on many factors, including the pseudo-code rate, the signal to noise ratio, the processing methods for tracking loops and so on. This paper describes the CAPS link budget, the solution approach for CAPS positioning, focusing on the autocorrelation function feature of C/A code signals. The CAPS signal measurement precision is studied by the software approach together with theoretical analysis of the range resolution. Because the conventional Delay Lock Loop (DLL) is vulnerable to the impact of noise, a narrow correlator and multiple correlators as well as the corresponding discrimination methods of phases are proposed, which improves the robustness of DLL and the code-phase resolution of the measurement. The results show that the improvement of the DLL structure and the discrimination method are the most important way to improve the ranging resolution. Theoretical analysis and experimental results show that a CAPS receiver could reach a 20-m positioning precision by using three satellites with a supported height from an altimeter. Supported by the National Key Basic Research and Development Technology Plan (Grant No. 2007CB815500) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60802018)     

CAPS satellite spread spectrum communication blind multi-user detecting system based on chaotic sequences

Multiple Path Interference (MPI) and Multiple Access Interference (MAI) are important factors that affect the performance of Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS). These problems can be solved by using spreading sequences with ideal properties and multi-user detectors. Chaotic sequences based on Chebyshev map are studied and the satellite communication system model is set up to investigate the application of chaotic sequences for CAPS in this paper. Simulation results show that chaotic sequences have desirable correlation properties and it is easy to generate a large number of chaotic sequences with good security. It has great practical value to apply chaotic sequences to CAPS together with multi-user detecting technology and the system performance can be improved greatly. Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815500) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007AA12z343)     

Design and implementation of the CAPS receiver

In this paper, based on analyses of the Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS) satellite (GEO satellite) resources and signal properties, the signal power at the port of the receiver antenna is estimated, and the implementation projects are presented for a switching band C to band L CAPS C/A code receiver integrated with GPS receiver suite and for a CAPS dual frequency P code receiver. A microstrip receiving antenna is designed with high sensitivity and wide beam orientation, the RF front end of the C/A code and P code receivers, and a processor is designed for the navigation baseband. A single frequency CAPS C/A code receiver and a CAPS dual frequency P code receiver are built at the same time. A software process flow is provided, and research on relatively key techniques is also conducted, such as signal searching, code loop and carrier loop algorithms, a height assistant algorithm, a dual frequency difference speed measurement technique, a speed measurement technique using a single frequency source with frequency assistance, and a CAPS time correcting algorithm, according to the design frame of the receiver hardware. Research results show that the static plane positioning accuracy of the CAPS C/A code receiver is 20.5–24.6 m, height accuracy is 1.2–12.8 m, speed measurement accuracy is 0.13–0.3 m/s, dynamic plane positioning accuracy is 24.4 m, height accuracy is 3.0 m, and speed measurement accuracy is 0.24 m/s. In the case of C/A code, the timing accuracy is 200 ns, and it is also shown that the positioning accuracy of the CAPS precise code receiver (1 σ) is 5 m from south to north, and 0.8 m from east to west. Finally, research on positioning accuracy is also conducted. Supported by the Knowledge Innovation Program of Major Projects, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KGCX1-21) and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2004AA105030)     

An analysis of the wide area differential method of geostationary orbit satellites

This work aims to obtain a wide area differential method for geostationary orbit (GEO) constellation. A comparison between the dilution of precision (DOP) of four-dimensional (4D) calculation including satellite clock errors and ephemeris errors and that of three-dimensional (3D) calculation only including ephemeris errors with the inverse positioning theory of GPS shows the conclusion that all the 3D PDOPs are greatly reduced. Based on this, a basic idea of correcting satellite clock errors and ephemeris errors apart is put forward, and moreover, a specific method of separation is proposed. Satellite clock errors are separated in a master station with time synchronization, and all the remaining pseudo-range errors after the satellite clock errors have been deducted are used to work out ephemeris corrections of all GEO satellites. By a comparative analysis of user positioning accuracy before and after differential, the wide area differential method is verified to be quite valid for GEO constellation. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10778715), the National Key Basic Research Development Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815502), and the Scientific Research Fund of Hunan Provincial Education Department (Grant No. 08B039)     

Methods of rapid orbit forecasting after maneuvers for geostationary satellites

A geostationary (GEO) satellite may serve as a navigation satellite, but there is a problem that maneuvers frequently occur and the forces are difficult to model. Based on the technique of determining satellite orbits by transfer, a predicted orbit with high accuracy may be achieved by the method of statistical orbit determination in case of no maneuver force. The predicted orbit will soon be invalid after the maneuver starts, and it takes a long time to get a valid orbit after the maneuver ends. In order to improve ephemeris usability, the method of rapid orbit forecasting after maneuvers is studied. First, GEO satellite movement is analyzed in case of maneuvers based on the observation from the orbit measurement system by transfer. Then when a GEO satellite is in the free status just after maneuvers, the short arc observation is used to forecast the orbit. It is assumed that the common system bias and biases of each station are constant, which can be obtained from orbit determination with long arc observations. In this way, only 6 orbit elements would be solved by the method of statistical orbit determination, and the ephemeris with high accuracy may be soon obtained. Actual orbit forecasting with short arc observation for SINOSAT-1 satellite shows that, with the tracking network available, the precision of the predicted orbit (RMS of O-C) can reach about 5 m with 15 min arc observation, and about 3 m with 30 min arc observation. Supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2006AA12Z322), the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB815503), and the West Light Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. 2007LH01)     

Precise orbit determination of a maneuvered GEO satellite using CAPS ranging data

Wheel-off-loadings and orbital maneuvers of the GEO satellite result in additional accelerations to the satellite itself. Complex and difficult to model, these time varying accelerations are an important error source of precise orbit determination (POD). In most POD practices, only non-maneuver orbital arcs are treated. However, for some applications such as satellite navigation RDSS services, uninterrupted orbital ephemeris is demanded, requiring the development of POD strategies to be processed both during and after an orbital maneuver. We in this paper study the POD for a maneuvered GEO satellite, using high precision and high sampling rate ranging data obtained with Chinese Area Positioning System (CAPS). The strategy of long arc POD including maneuver arcs is studied by using telemetry data to model the maneuver thrust process. Combining the thrust and other orbital perturbations, a long arc of 6 days’ CAPS ranging data is analyzed. If the telemetry data are not available or contain significant errors, attempts are made to estimate thrusting parameters using CAPS ranging data in the POD as an alternative to properly account for the maneuver. Two strategies achieve reasonably good data fitting level in the tested arc with the maximal position difference being about 20 m. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 10703011) and the Science & Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality of China (Grant No. 06DZ22101)     

灰霾背景下基于最优链路的低轨道量子卫星星间切换策略

为了应对灰霾对星地量子通信信道所带来的突发性干扰,根据灰霾天气下量子信号在自由空间中的衰减指数,本文提出了一种基于信号功率衰减最低的最优链路量子卫星切换策略。当目前的星地链路参数满足切换条件时,地面用户通过对不同信道中量子信号功率衰减系数的比对,测试到最小衰减卫星链路,基于对光子态Bell基的测量,完成卫星间的量子纠缠交换,建立新的纠缠信道,保证通信在切换过程中的连续性。仿真结果表明,当系统呼损率为5%,能见度为1km,地面用户数分别为50、100、300,轨道高度为300km和1400km时,量子卫星的切换成功率分别为95%、93.6%、91.8%和92%、90%、87%。由此可见,本策略能够在保证通信可靠性的前提下,实现星地间量子信道的平稳切换,提高量子卫星通信系统在灰霾背景下链路的有效性。     

低轨道量子卫星通信星上交换算法及仿真

量子卫星通信能够解决量子移动通信在航海、航空领域中对于远距离和大范围的需求,而星上交换是量子卫星通信的关键技术之一.本文以低轨道量子卫星通信星上交换为研究对象,提出了一种新的星上交换算法——终端测距法.利用该算法测得终端到相邻小区中心的距离,并将测得的数据上传给当前服务卫星系统,再由卫星系统通过比较距离大小决定终端是否切换.数学分析和仿真结果表明,该算法可靠性高、操作方便,能够在各卫星之间实现平稳切换.     

低轨道量子卫星通信星上交换算法及仿真

量子卫星通信能够解决量子移动通信在航海、航空领域中对于远距离和大范围的需求,而星上交换是量子卫星通信的关键技术之一.本文以低轨道量子卫星通信星上交换为研究对象,提出了一种新的星上交换算法—终端测距法.利用该算法测得终端到相邻小区中心的距离,并将测得的数据上传给当前服务卫星系统,再由卫星系统通过比较距离大小决定终端是否切换.数学分析和仿真结果表明,该算法可靠性高、操作方便,能够在各卫星之间实现平稳切换.