GPS Multipath Mitigation for Urban Area Using Omnidirectional Infrared Camera

• Published in: IEEE transactions on intelligent transportation systems Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 22 - 30
• Main Authors: Meguro, J.-i., Murata, T., Takiguchi, J.-i., Amano, Y., Hashizume, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Piscataway, NJ IEEE 01.03.2009; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Antennas; Applied sciences; Artificial intelligence; Buildings; Cameras; Computer science; control theory; systems; Control theory. Systems; Exact sciences and technology; Geographic information systems; Global Positioning System; Global Positioning System (GPS); Ground, air and sea transportation, marine construction; Inductors; infrared (IR) image sensors; Infrared detectors; Infrared imaging; Infrared radiation; multipath mitigation; Optical receivers; Pattern recognition. Digital image processing. Computational geometry; Receiving antennas; Robotics; Satellite navigation systems; Satellites; self-positioning; Urban areas; Vehicles; Infrared thermography; Positioning; Line of sight propagation; GPS system; Infrared camera; multipath mitigation; Global Positioning System (GPS); Radiolocalisation; Satellite observation; Satellite; Urban area; urban areas; Ring; infrared (IR) image sensors; Kinematics; Feasibility; Image sensor; self-positioning; Antenna
• ISSN: 1524-9050; 1558-0016
• DOI: 10.1109/TITS.2008.2011688

This paper describes a precision positioning technique that can be applied to vehicles in urban areas. The proposed technique mitigates Global Positioning System (GPS) multipath by means of an omnidirectional infrared (IR) camera that can eliminate the need for invisible satellites [a satellite detected by the receiver but without line of sight (LOS)] by using IR images. Some simple GPS multipath mitigation techniques, such as the installation of antennas away from buildings and using choke ring antennas, are well known. Further, various correlator techniques can also be employed. However, when a direct signal cannot be received by the antenna, these techniques do not provide satisfactory results because they presume that the antenna chiefly receives direct signals. On the other hand, the proposed technique can mitigate GPS multipath, even if a direct signal cannot be received because it can recognize the surrounding environment by means of an omnidirectional IR camera. With the IR camera, the sky appears distinctively dark; this facilitates the detection of the borderline between the sky and the surrounding buildings, which are captured in white, due to the difference in the atmospheric transmittance rate between visible light and IR rays. Positioning is performed only with visible satellites having fewer multipath errors and without using invisible satellites. With the proposed system, static and kinematic evaluations in which invisible satellites are discriminated through observation using an omnidirectional IR camera are conducted. Hence, signals are received even if satellites are hidden behind buildings; furthermore, the exclusion of satellites having large errors from the positioning computation becomes possible. The evaluation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed technique and the feasibility of highly accurate positioning.