Performance analysis of dual-frequency receiver using combinations of GPS L1, L5, and L2 civil signals

Processing of GNSS signals from more than one frequency band enhances the accuracy and integrity of a position solution in both standalone and differential positioning. The modern GPS program and newly launched GNSS systems such as GALILEO, BeiDou allow civilians to access signals from multiple frequencies in the L-band spectrum. While there are some advantages in triple-frequency processing in carrier phase applications, in general most of the standalone kinematic receivers get benefit from dual-frequency signals for ionosphere error correction. In implementing a dual-frequency receiver, it is necessary to select a combination of frequencies leading to an optimum performance of the existing civilian signals. In the current research work, we have analyzed the performance of dual-frequency receiver in terms of combined signal observation noise, sensitivity and robustness using analytical models by taking the combination of GPS L1, L2C and L5 signals as an example. Further, we have investigated the benefits of common Doppler estimate-based two-frequency signal tracking to reduce the noise in linear combination of observations. Through analytical and experimental results, it is confirmed that the L1/L5 signal combination in GPS system has low observation noise, which is suitable to use in high accuracy and precise positioning applications using standalone dual-frequency receiver. Further, it is shown that common Doppler estimate-based dual-frequency signal tracking has improved receiver tracking loop performance in terms of observation noise and multipath in linear combination of observations and enhanced receiver sensitivity and robustness. In GPS system, L1/L5 signals processed using common Doppler estimate-aided two-frequency signal tracking architecture, it is possible to effectively mitigate ionosphere delay and other receiver observation errors, to achieve less than 1 m position accuracy using unambiguous code phase observations. Proposed analysis is applicable of finding an optimal two-frequency signal combination in multi-frequency GNSS system and suitable signal processing architecture to obtain high accuracy and precise ionosphere-free position solution using code phase observations in standalone dual-frequency receiver.