Single-Epoch Ambiguity Resolution for Real-Time GPS Attitude Determination with the Aid of One-Dimensional Optical Fiber Gyro

High-accuracy real-time GPS-based attitude determination requires that integer ambiguities be resolved very quickly so that the attitude angles can be output with minimum delay. This article describes an attitude determination algorithm that can resolve integer ambiguities instantaneously, relative to one antenna of a multi-antenna array configuration. The carrier phase and pseudorange observations are used with fixed baseline length constraints and fiberoptic gyro data. Real-time stochastic model improvement using empirical elevation-dependent standard deviation function and an estimated scale factor are a feature of this algorithm. Integer ambiguity search using the LAMBDA method, sophisticated validation criteria, and an adaptive procedure has also been implemented within the software. An experiment was carried out using four Leica dual-frequency GPS receivers (but only the L1 carrier phase and pseudorange data were used) and a low-cost fiberoptic on a car. The results indicate that integer ambiguities can be resolved on a single-epoch basis with a 98.9% success rate. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.