Kalman Filter Based Tracking Algorithms For Software GPS Receivers

Except where reference is made to the work of others, the work described in this thesis is my own or was done in collaboration with my advisory committee. This thesis does not include proprietary or classified information. Permission is granted to Auburn University to make copies of this thesis at its discretion, upon the request of individuals or institutions and at their expense. The author reserves all publication rights. He is the second child of Vernon and Vicky Lashley, and has an older brother, William. Matthew grew up in the small community of Malone, near the town of Wadley, Alabama. He attended Wadley High School and graduated in 2000. After graduating from high school, Matthew attended Southern Union State Community College in Wadley. He transfered to Auburn University in the summer of 2002 and initially was pursuing a physics undergraduate degree. In the Fall of 2002, he transfered to the electrical engineering program. Matthew earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in May 2004. He then worked for Phase IV Systems in Huntsville, Alabama before entering graduate school at Auburn University in the Fall of 2004. Matthew started graduate school in the electrical engineering department studying control systems under Dr. John Hung. He worked as a graduate teaching assistant for two semesters at Auburn before returning to work Phase IV systems in the summer of 2005. In the Fall of 2005 Matthew accepted a position in the GPS and Vehicle Dynamics Lab (GAVLAB) as a graduate research assistant, working for Dr. David Bevly. Matthew worked two semesters at the GAVLAB researching Deeply Integrated (DI) GPS algorithms. In the summer of 2006, Matthew worked for the company NTA in Huntsville, Alabama. There, he helped in the testing for the Deeply Integrated GPS Navigation Unit (DIGNU) and continued his research into DI GPS algorithms. In the Fall of 2006 Matthew returned to the GAVLAB and finished his thesis. He plans on continuing his research at Auburn University and pursuing his doctorate. In this thesis several new Kalman filter based tracking algorithms for GPS software receivers are presented. Traditional receivers use Costas loops and Delay Lock Loops (DLL) to track the carrier and Pseudo-Random Noise (PRN) signals broadcast by the GPS satellites, respectively. The tasks of tracking the the carrier and PRN signals are done separately. The Kalman filter based algorithms introduced in this thesis provide an alternative to the Costas loop and …