Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Precise vehicle dynamic heading and pitch angle estimation using time-differenced measurements from a single GNSS antenna

  • GPS Toolbox
  • Published:
GPS Solutions Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The attitude information of ground vehicles, i.e., heading and pitch information, can be used for many transport applications. This information can be determined through various solutions of onboard sensors, including magnetic sensors, inertial sensors, GNSS equipment, and their combinations. In order to find a cost-effective solution, we propose here a new toolbox named Vehicle Attitude Determination toolbox from the Intelligent Transportation And Geomatics group (iTAG_VAD) that determines vehicle dynamic heading and pitch using only one single-frequency GPS antenna, reducing costs while retaining an acceptable heading and pitch accuracy. In this toolbox, by using the constraints of the vehicle motion and road geometry, two variations in a time-differenced measurement model, i.e., Time-Differenced Carrier Phase (TDCP) and Time-Differenced Pseudorange (TDPR), are developed for heading and pitch determination. The results show that both proposed TDCP- and TDPR-based models are able to provide an accurate heading and pitch estimation with a root mean square error below the one-degree level, which is sufficient for many land-based applications. We describe the toolbox and its implementation in MATLAB in detail.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data supporting this research are collected by the authors, and the users can find the data in the toolbox.

References

  • Alban S (2004) Design and performance of a robust GPS/INS attitude system for automobile applications. Ph. D. Thesis, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

  • Aleshechkin AM (2011) Algorithm of GNSS-based attitude determination. Gyrosc Navig 2(4):269–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bahder TB (2002) Attitude determination from single-antenna carrier-phase measurements. J Appl Phys 91(7):4677–4684

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen W, Yu C, Cai M, Dong Y (2017) Single-antenna attitude determination using GNSS for low-dynamic carrier. In: China satellite navigation conference (CSNC) 2017 proceedings: volume I, lecture notes in electrical engineering 437: 267–275

  • Cohen CE (1992) Attitude determination using GPS. Ph. D. Thesis, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

  • Cohen CE (1996) Attitude determination. Global positioning system: theory and applications, vol. II. In: Parkinson BW, Spilker JJ (eds) Progress in astronautics and aeronautics, vol 164. AIAA, Washington DC, pp 519–538

    Google Scholar 

  • Ding W, Wang J (2011) Precise velocity estimation with a stand-alone GPS receiver. J Navig 64(2):311–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell JL (2001) Carrier phase processing without integers. In: Proceedings of ION AM, Institute of Navigation, Albuquerque, NM, USA, June 11–13, pp 423–428

  • Ferguson K, Kosmalska J, Kuhl M, Eichner J M, Kepski K (1991) Three-dimensional attitude determination with the Ashtech 3DF 24-channel GPS measurement system. In: Proceedings of ION NTM 1991, Institute of Navigation, Phoenix, AZ, USA, January 22–24, pp 35–41

  • Groves PD, Handley RJ, Parker ST (2009) Vehicle heading determination using only single-antenna GPS and a single Gyro. In: Proceedings ION GNSS 2009, Institute of Navigation, Savannah, GA, USA, September 22–25, pp 1775–1784

  • Han S, Wang J (2010) A novel initial alignment scheme for low-cost INS aided by GPS for land vehicle applications. J Navig 63(4):663–680

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann-Wellenhof B, Lichtenegger H, Collins J (1992) Global positioning system: theory and practice. Springer, Berlin

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jurgens RD, Rodgers CE, Fan LC (1991) Advances in GPS attitude determining technology as developed for the strategic defense command. In: Proceedings of ION GPS 1991, Institute of Navigation, Albuquerque, NM, USA, September 11–13, pp 991–1000

  • Keong JH (1999) Determining heading and pitch using a single difference GPS/GLONASS approach. MS Thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

  • Liu S, Zhang L, Li J, Luo Y (2016) Dual frequency long-short baseline ambiguity resolution for GNSS attitude determination. In: Proceedings of IEEE/ION PLANS 2016, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Savannah, GA, USA, April 11–14, pp 630–637

  • Plotnikov PK (2014) An approach to designing algorithms for determining vehicle heading using onboard multipoint magnetic measurements. Gyrosc Navig 5(2):113–120

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raskaliyev A, Patel SH, Sobh TM, Ibrayev A (2020) GNSS-based attitude determination techniques—a comprehensive literature survey. IEEE Access 8:24873–24886

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rath J, Ward P (1989) Attitude estimation using GPS. In: Proceedings ION NTM 1989, Institute of Navigation, San Mateo, CA, USA, January 23–26, pp 169–178

  • Rizos C (2001) Precise GPS positioning: Prospects and challenges. In: 5th International symposium on satellite navigation technology & applications, Canberra, Australia, July 24–27

  • Serrano L, Kim D, Langley R B, Itani K, Ueno M (2004) A GPS velocity sensor: How accurate can it be?… A first look. In: Proceedings of ION NTM 2004, Institute of Navigation, San Diego, CA, USA, January 26–28, pp 875–885

  • Soon BK, Scheding S, Lee HK, Durrant-Whyte H (2008) An approach to aid INS using time-differenced GPS carrier phase (TDCP) measurements. GPS Solut 12(4):261–271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Graas F, Soloviev A (2003) Precise velocity estimation using a stand-alone GPS receiver. In: Proceedings of ION NTM 2003, Institute of Navigation, Anaheim, CA, USA, January 22–24, pp 262–271

  • Vanicek P, Krakiwsky EJ (1986) Geodesy: the concepts. North-Holland, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Wendel J, Meister O, Moenikes R, Trommer GF (2006) Time-differenced carrier phase measurements for tightly coupled GPS/INS integration. In: Proceedings of IEEE/ION PLANS 2006, San Diego, CA, USA, April 25–27, pp 54–60

  • Willi D, Rothacher M (2017) GNSS attitude determination with non-synchronized receivers and short baselines onboard a spacecraft. GPS Solut 21(4):1605–1617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zaminpardaz S, Teunissen PJ, Nadarajah N (2017) Single-frequency L5 attitude determination from IRNSS/NavIC and GPS: a single-and dual-system analysis. J Geodesy 91(12):1415–1433

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the sponsorship of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41974033, 41704022) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20170780) and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. KFJJ20190727).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Civil Aviation, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing, 211106, China

    Rui Sun, Qi Cheng & Junhui Wang

Authors
  1. Rui Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Qi Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Junhui Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rui Sun.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The GPS Tool Box is a column dedicated to highlighting algorithms and source code utilized by GPS engineers and scientists. If you have an interesting program or software package you would like to share with our readers, please pass it along; e-mail it to us at gpstoolbox@ngs.noaa.gov. To comment on any of the source code discussed here, or to download source code, visit our website at http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/gps-toolbox. This column is edited by Stephen Hilla, National Geodetic Survey, NOAA, Silver Spring, Maryland, and Mike Craymer, Geodetic Survey Division, Natural Resources Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada..

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sun, R., Cheng, Q. & Wang, J. Precise vehicle dynamic heading and pitch angle estimation using time-differenced measurements from a single GNSS antenna. GPS Solut 24, 84 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-020-01000-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-020-01000-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation