Validation of Beamforming Techniques for Handheld GNSS Receivers in the Presence of Correlated Signals

Lucía Pallarés-Rodríguez, Gonzalo Seco-Granados, José A. López-Salcedo, Bárbara de Matos, Pedro Boto, Alexandru Budianu

Abstract:	With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous driving, and the smart city paradigm, the number of applications relying on accurate positioning and timing information has grown significantly. In this context, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) represent a key technology, providing global coverage and high accuracy. However, GNSS performance is known to degrade in urban and suburban environments, due to signal blockages and propagation impairments. In particular, two phenomena can severely impact receiver performance in these scenarios: multipath and spoofing. Their high level of correlation with the desired line-of-sight (LoS) signal distorts the correlation output, inducing large errors in code delay and phase estimation. A promising approach to detect these undesired contributions and counteract their effects is the deployment of multiple antennas. In this work, multi-antenna detection and mitigation techniques effective against multipath and spoofing are analyzed, with a focus on mass-market GNSS receivers equipped with a limited number of antennas. The first part of this work presents the theoretical formulation of the proposed techniques, supported by numerical simulations under representative scenarios. To verify the performance observed in the simulations, the second part presents the results of a thorough evaluation of the algorithms in a controlled laboratory environment, serving as an initial validation bridging simulations and real-world implementation, and providing a comparison with commercially available mass-market receivers. Finally, to complete the assessment of beamforming in small GNSS receivers, the techniques are tested using real signals captured under open-sky conditions, addressing the antenna calibration challenge and enabling future evaluation under real multipath and spoofing environments.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025) September 8 - 12, 2025 Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Baltimore, Maryland
Pages:	2257 - 2276
Cite this article:	Pallarés-Rodríguez, Lucía, Seco-Granados, Gonzalo, López-Salcedo, José A., de Matos, Bárbara, Boto, Pedro, Budianu, Alexandru, "Validation of Beamforming Techniques for Handheld GNSS Receivers in the Presence of Correlated Signals," Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025), Baltimore, Maryland, September 2025, pp. 2257-2276. https://doi.org/10.33012/2025.20479
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