GPS Heading Determination Using Short Antenna Baselines.
Abstract
Defence Research Establishment Ottawa has completed an exploratory investigation into the use of GPS as a method of heading determination for an in-ice Arctic surveillance sensor, known as an ice-pick sonobuoy, dropped from a surveillance aircraft into the ice cover of the Canadian high Arctic. The parameters within which the system was to function included operation above a latitude of 80 degrees north with a bearing accuracy of better than 5 degrees. Due to the small diameter of the sonobuoy, the investigation was to center on the use of extremely short antenna baseline separations; 10 Cm, if achievable, as well as the use of inexpensive, off-the-shelf receivers of small size and low power consumption. The Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary has developed a software package called HEAD' which was designed to accept phase data inputs from a pair of GPS receivers, each with their own antenna and provide heading and pitch information to the user in a non real-time environment. DREO licensed this system from U of C for the sonobuoy investigation. Two receiver sets were evaluated; the Canadian Marconi CMT 8700 and the Motorola VP Oncore. Trials were performed at CFS Alert in the Canadian Arctic under various ice/snow and satellite geometry conditions and several baseline separations. Test results indicated that OPS was a viable option for use in the ice-pick sonobuoy application providing heading accuracies of better than 5 degrees under almost all test conditions. This technology is also expected to be applicable to numerous other applications including land vehicle heading determination, artillery surveying, antenna pointing and targeting applications. The system is now undergoing conversion to real-time operation for further evaluation in 1997.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA341662
Entities
People
- Lloyd D. Gallop
- Michael Vinnins
Organizations
- Defence Research and Development Canada