Integration of Multi-Constellation GNSS Precise Point Positioning and MEMS-Based Inertial Systems Using Tightly Coupled Mechanization

We develop a new integrated navigation system, which integrates multi-constellations GNSS precise point positioning (PPP), including GPS, GLONASS and Galileo, with low-cost micro-electro-mechanical sensor (MEMS) inertial system, for precise positioning applications. To integrate GNSS and the MEMS-based inertial system, the process and measurement models are developed. Tightly coupled mechanism is adopted, which is carried out in the GNSS raw measurements domain. Both un-differenced and between-satellite single-difference (BSSD) ionosphere-free linear combinations of pseudorange and carrier phase GNSS measurements are processed. Rigorous models are employed to correct GNSS errors and biases. The GNSS inter-system biases are considered as additional unknowns in the integrated error state vector. The developed stochastic model for inertial sensors errors and biases are defined based on first order Gaussian Markov process. Extended Kalman filter is developed to integrate GNSS and inertial measurements and estimate inertial measurements biases and errors. Two field experiments are executed, which represent different real-world scenarios in land-based navigation. The data are processed by using our developed Ryerson PPP GNSS/MEMS software. The results indicate that the proposed integrated system achieves decimeter to centimeter level positioning accuracy when the measurement updates from GNSS are available. During complete GNSS outages the developed integrated system continues to achieve decimeter level accuracy for up to 30 seconds while it achieves meter-level accuracy when a 60-second outage is introduced.