124 - OPTIMISATION OF PVT ENGINES FOR LEO MEASUREMENT DIVERSITY

We are seeking a team to advance Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) engines by leveraging the unique advantages of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite systems. LEO-PNT stands out for its ability to whiten multipath measurements, exploit Doppler data alongside ranging, and rapidly transition between line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals. These differentiators enable optimized fusion with dead-reckoning systems and improved signal awareness in challenging environments.

Current LEO-PNT performance evaluations often rely on GNSS PVT engines, which are optimized for Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) measurements and may not fully exploit LEO’s measurement diversity. This activity aims to design and demonstrate optimal PVT engines tailored for LEO-PNT, both as a standalone solution and in hybrid configurations with dead-reckoning technologies.

Responsibilities

• Survey the state-of-the-art in LEO-PNT signal processing and positioning engines.
• Investigate the nature and benefits of LEO-PNT measurement diversity, including multipath whitening, optimal Doppler utilization, and exploitation of rapid transitions between LOS/NLOS and obstructed/unobstructed signals for standalone and hybrid (dead-reckoning) operations.
• Implement and compare two design approaches:
  • A conventional design using Kalman Filtering.
  • An AI/ML-based design to exploit potentially unknown or unexpected behaviors in LEO measurements.
• Benchmark the two novel designs against a traditional MEO GNSS-based PVT engine through a field measurement campaign (real-time or post-processing).

Deliverables

• State-of-the-art, optimal design of PVT engines that fully exploit LEO-PNT measurement diversity.
• A functional breadboard and performance test report, benchmarked against a MEO GNSS-based PVT engine.
• A commercialization roadmap, including potential follow-up activities (e.g., Navisp EL2) and lessons learned to refine Europe’s LEO-PNT systems.