GPS Signal Detection under Multiplicative and Additive Noise

Abstract

In some Global Positioning System (GPS) signal propagation environments, especially in the ionosphere and urban areas with heavy multipath, GPS signal encounters not only additive noise but also multiplicative noise. In this paper we compare and contrast the conventional GPS signal acquisition method which focuses on handling GPS signal acquisition with additive noise, with the enhanced GPS signal processing under multiplicative noise by proposing an extension of the GPS detection mechanism, to include the GPS detection model that explains detection of the GPS signal under additive and multiplicative noise. For this purpose, a novel GPS signal detection scheme based on high order cyclostationarity is proposed. The principle is introduced, the GPS signal detection structure is described, the ambiguity of initial PseudoRandom Noise (PRN) code phase and Doppler shift of GPS signal is analysed. From the simulation results, the received GPS signal at low power level, which is degraded by additive and multiplicative noise, can be detected under the condition that the received block of GPS data length is at least 1·6 ms and sampling frequency is at least 5 MHz.