Laboratory Testing of an lnterferometric GPS Flight Reference System

Frank van Graas, David Diggle, Larkin Lake and Sam Newman

Abstract:	An Interferometric GPS Flight Reference System (IGPS FRS) has been tested in a laboratory environment for the first time at the Naval Research and Development Division (NRaD), Warminster, Pennsylvania. The NRaD testing involved several scenarios including simulating a moving aircraft in a racetrack pattern with final approach and landing. The test results validated IGPS FRS accuracies to under 10 cm, total system error. Repetition of laboratory tests produced virtually identical results on a day-to- day basis, a feat which cannot be achieved during flight testing. The results of the testing showcase the unique capabilities of the NRaD Central Engineering Activity (CEA) laboratory and are possibly the first such laboratory tests of an IGPS FRS. The paper discusses the IGPS FRS architecture developed by the Avionics Engineering Center at Ohio University, including a system description and principles of operation; the NRaD CEA Laboratory with detailed description stressing the development effort required to achieve kinematic carrier-phase repeatability; and, the interface between the IGPS FRS and the laboratory environment. The paper concludes with a presentation of the initial test results.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995) June 5 - 7, 1995 Antlers Doubletree Hotel Colorado Springs, CO
Pages:	303 - 323
Cite this article:	van Graas, Frank, Diggle, David, Lake, Larkin, Newman, Sam, "Laboratory Testing of an lnterferometric GPS Flight Reference System," Proceedings of the 51st Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (1995), Colorado Springs, CO, June 1995, pp. 303-323.
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