Universal Software-Defined Avionic Receiver (SDAR) for Robust and Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT)

该研究计划的主要目标是研究融合架构和新方法，以开发具有鲁棒性和弹性定位，导航和定时（PNT）性能的通用软件定义航空电子接收机（SDAR），特别是在全球导航卫星系统（GNSS）挑战环境和不同空域分类中。通用接收机将使用特定的机会信号（SoOP）来覆盖现代化的航空电子标准以及与飞机和无人系统航空电子开发相关的未来计划，这是一个新的和具有挑战性的问题。选定的SoOP不仅可以从成熟的基础设施中获得，如实际的航空电子设备（DME，TMS，ADS-B），电视或蜂窝网络，还可以从有前途的航空伪卫星和其他通信系统中获得，如Iridium Next。为了实现这种新的能力，第一个倡议将集中在提出一种新的架构，用于获取和跟踪GNSS和具有新的相关指标的选定SoOP信号。这些信号将在一个简洁、同步和标准化的航空电子系统框架中进行处理。第二个轴是先进的数字信号处理算法和数据融合方法，从SoOP中提取有用的信息，以在不同的条件下保持精确的PNT。基于SoOP识别和分类算法从多波段源，新的学习方法和模型将被研究，以便将这些信号集成到全球航空电子软件架构中，并扩展用于不同的应用，如本地服务。作为所提出的SDAR的验证过程，将首先使用来自概念验证实验室接收机的真实的记录RF信号在仿真中研究、开发、实现和分析架构/算法。此外，研究工作和成果将使用开发的实时原型在真实的环境中进行测试和验证。本研究所开发的通用SDAR将大大改善当前的GNSS接收机并提高其功能，同时保持低尺寸，重量，功耗和成本（SWaP-C），从而产生有效，最佳，经济和更安全的解决方案。该计划将为GNSS和航空电子/导航接收器设计科学，生命安全应用的完整性监测做出重大贡献，并将在通用航空，基于位置的应用和室内定位等众多领域直接获利。城市环境中的垂直起降（VTOL）车辆等无人驾驶系统也将从研究计划成果中受益匪浅。本研究旨在应用于未来的航空电子系统，特别是新一代的综合模块化航空电子（IMA）。这种方法不仅将确保兼容性，而且还将提高通信、导航和监视系统的安全性和可靠性。

The main objective of this research program is to investigate fusion architecture and new methods for developing a universal Software-Defined Avionic Receiver (SDAR) with robust and resilient positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) performance, especially in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-challenged environments and in different airspace classification. The universal receiver will use specific Signals of Opportunity (SoOP) to cover the modernized avionics standard and the future programs related to aircraft and unmanned systems avionics development, which is a new and challenging problem. Selected SoOP will be obtained from not only mature infrastructure such as actual avionics (DME, TMS, ADS-B), television, or cellular network, but also from promising aeronautical pseudolites and other communication systems such as Iridium Next. To enable such new capabilities, the first initiative will focus on proposing a novel architecture for acquiring and tracking both GNSS and selected SoOP signals with new associated metrics. These signals will be treated in a concise, synchronized and standardized avionics framework. The second axis is on advanced digital signal processing algorithms and data fusion methods to extract useful information from SoOP to maintain precise PNT in diverse conditions. Based on SoOP identification and classification algorithms from multi-band sources, novel learning methods and models will be investigated in order to integrate these signals into global avionics software architecture with extended use in different applications such as local based services. As a validation process of the proposed SDAR, the architecture/algorithms will be studied, developed, implemented, and analyzed first in simulation using real recorded RF signals from the proof-of-concept laboratory receiver. Moreover, the research work and outcomes will be tested and validated in a real environment using the developed real-time prototype. The developed universal SDAR investigated by this research will strongly improve the current GNSS receivers and increase their capabilities, while keeping low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C), which results in an effective, optimal, economical and more secure solution. This program will contribute substantially to the science of GNSS and avionic/navigation receiver design, Integrity Monitoring for Safety-of-Life applications and will directly be profitable in numerous fields, such as general aviation, location-based applications and indoor localization. Unmanned systems such as Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicles in urban environment will also strongly benefit from the research program outcome. This research is intended to be applicable in future avionic systems, especially with the new generation of Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA). This approach will not only ensure compatibility, but also shall improve safety and secured Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems.