A Triple-Band GNSS Receiver for High Accuracy Automotive Applications

Among on-board sensors, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver plays a key role because of its unique capability of absolute and precise localization. Autonomous vehicles guidance and assistance, resilient timing and an increased demand for higher safety levels are motivating a rapid evolution toward multi-band GNSS receivers in the automotive (and industrial) segments. Triple-band GNSS has gained interest in the past years and found application in professional receivers and reference stations, mostly because of faster carrier-phase ambiguity resolution, stronger integrity constraints over linear combinations and higher signal availability for Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) algorithms. The deployment of new services for high-accuracy positioning, like Galileo HAS, BeiDou PPP-B2b and Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) CLAS is also taking benefit from the availability of multiple bands. In this latest applicative scenario, the third frequency plays a different role, acting as an additional downstream channel for the GNSS correction data. Signal modernization is definitely another strong enabler for the adoption of triple-band. With specific reference to system design and signal processing aspects, this article discloses a new compact GNSS chipset for automotive, capable to generate coherent triple band observables and correction data streams, including a demodulator for QZSS Code Shift Keying (CSK). The frequency plans, the supported mix of legacy and modernized signals and relevant Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are discussed for selected configurations, typically encountered in automotive precise-positioning and timing.