Performance of GNSS Beamforming Algorithms using Distributed Sub-arrays in Automotive Applications

Marius Brachvogel, Michael Niestroj, Soeren Zorn, Michael Meurer, Syed N. Hasnain, Ralf Stephan, Matthias A. Hein

Abstract: Antenna array systems have been proven suitable to counteract radio frequency interference. The large size of uniform rectangular arrays with half-wave antenna spacing for the GNSS frequency bands impedes an installation in the consumer automotive area, where aesthetic design is a unique selling point and hence desired by the industry and its customers. This paper emphasizes a new approach, where a conventional uniform rectangular array is split into distributed sub-arrays. Care must be taken by the geometrical arrangement of the sub-arrays, as the array manifold and hence the DOA-estimation may become ambiguous, possibly leading to an accidential mitigation of incident satellite signals. Design rules for the distributed sub-arrays are therefore derived and the impact of the proposed array on beamforming algorithms on the example of RFI mitigation is discussed. The theoretical models of the respective antenna patterns are verified by measurements.
Published in: Proceedings of the 31st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2018)
September 24 - 28, 2018
Hyatt Regency Miami
Miami, Florida
Pages: 4052 - 4063
Cite this article: Brachvogel, Marius, Niestroj, Michael, Zorn, Soeren, Meurer, Michael, Hasnain, Syed N., Stephan, Ralf, Hein, Matthias A., "Performance of GNSS Beamforming Algorithms using Distributed Sub-arrays in Automotive Applications," Proceedings of the 31st International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2018), Miami, Florida, September 2018, pp. 4052-4063.
https://doi.org/10.33012/2018.15877
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