Description:
Within the framework of the software defined radio platform at LCM, we have a system to capture a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal. Within this signal are embedded all of the information required to determine the position of the receiver. The steps involved in determining the position are signal tracking (including Doppler shift and synchronisation), decoding of the information bits from each visible satellite (despreading of the spread-spectrum code), extracting the navigation data from the bits, and finally performing the calculations to calculate the receiver position.

Objective:

The initial part of the project will consist of developing a strong working knowledge of the GPS system and signal, and understanding how to decode it. The remainder of the project will centre around the development of an efficient GPS decoder. The goal is to have a flexible decoder that is capable of running in near real time, and that can produce a stream of calculated positions after the initial estimate of the receiver position. Once the back receiver is working, there is scope for development in a number of directions. Possible directions include: further optimisation by moving to one bit quantized data, and fixed precision calculations; mimicking of a commercial hardware GPS receiver for interface to navigation software; combining of of online map systems with the calculated position.

Prerequisites:

Solid knowledge of signal processing, and good programming skills (most likely in C/C++, but interested students may make a case for their language of preference).

Supervisor:
Peter Berlin, LCM, Tel.: 35635, Room: INR 141, peter.berlin@epfl.ch

Professor:
Bixio Rimoldi