In order to solve the problems that the novel wide area differential method on the satellite clock and ephemeris relative correction (CERC) in the non-geostationary orbit satellite constellation, a virtual reference satellite (VRS) differential principle using relative correction of satellite ephemeris errors is proposed. It is referred to be as the VRS differential principle, and the elaboration is focused on the construction of pseudo-range errors of VRS. Through qualitative analysis, it can be found that the impact of the satellite’s clock and ephemeris errors on positioning can basically be removed and the users’ positioning errors are near zero. Through simulation analysis of the differential performance, it is verified that the differential method is universal in all kinds of satellite navigation systems with geostationary orbit (GEO) constellation, Medium orbit (MEO) constellation or hybrid orbit constellation, and it has insensitivity to abnormal aspects of a satellite ephemeris and clock. Moreover, the real time positioning accuracy of differential users can be maintained within several decimeters after the pseudo-range measurement noise is effectively weakened or eliminated.
CAI ChengLin 1,3 , LI XiaoHui 2,3 & WU HaiTao 2,3 1 Gulin University of Electronic Technology, 541004, China
Based on the deep analysis of the wide area differential principle on the separation of satellite ephemeris errors and clock errors, the similarities and differences between the absolute separation of satellite ephemeris errors under time synchronization among the differential stations and relative separation of them under no time synchronization among them are analyzed. A one-station correction method of satellite clock errors including the 1st and the 2nd step correction is given under no time synchronization among these secondary stations, and the backward inference algorithm of the second correction of satellite clock errors is proposed. Through simulation analysis, satellite time service accuracy with code phase measurement can reach 5―7 ns, and that with carrier phase smoothing pseudo-range can reach 1―3 ns.
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 sa- tellite 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 ephem- eris 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 pseu- do-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.
CAI ChengLin1,2,3?, LI XiaoHui1 & WU HaiTao1 1 National Time Service Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lintong 710600, China