Precise point positioning algorithm for pseudolite combined with GNSS in a constrained observation environment

Abstract

In urban canyon environments, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites are heavily obstructed with frequent rise and fall and severe multi‐path errors induced by signal reflection, making it difficult to acquire precise, continuous, and reliable positioning information. To meet imperative demands for high‐precision positioning of public users in complex environments, like urban canyons, and to solve the problems for GNSS/pseudolite positioning under these circumstances, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Precision Point Positioning (PPP) algorithm combined with a pseudolite (PLS) was introduced. The former problems with the pseudolite PPP technique with distributed pseudo‐satellites, which relies heavily on known points for initiation and prerequisite for previous high‐precision time synchronization, were solved by means of a real‐time equivalent clock error estimation algorithm, ambiguity fixing, and validation method. Experiments based on a low‐cost receiver were performed, and the results show that in a weak obstructed environment with low‐density building where the number of GNSS satellites was greater than seven, the accuracy of pseudolite/GNSS PPP with fixed ambiguity was better than 0.15 m; when there were less than four GNSS satellites in severely obstructed circumstances, it was impossible to obtain position by GNSS alone, but with the support of a pseudolite, the accuracy of PPP was able to be better than 0.3 m. Even without GNSS, the accuracy of PPP could be better than 0.5 m with only four pseudolites. The pseudolite/GNSS PPP algorithm presented in this paper can effectively improve availability with less GNSS or even without GNSS in constrained environments, like urban canyons in cities.