The Need
Current navigation systems, such as GNSS, face limitations in urban canyons, indoor environments, and areas with signal jamming or spoofing. The rapid proliferation of LEO satellite constellations presents an untapped opportunity for resilient, accurate positioning. However, leveraging these signals is challenging due to unknown signal structures, high dynamics, and interference, leaving a critical need for robust frameworks that can extract navigation observables from LEO downlink signals.

The Technology
OSU engineers have developed a novel framework and device configuration for extracting navigation observables from LEO satellite downlink communication signals. By employing advanced signal processing, the system identifies and tracks multiple LEO satellites, estimates Doppler frequencies, and determines device position without requiring prior knowledge of the signal structure or network registration. The approach is resilient to interference and supports both standalone and differential navigation.

Commercial Applications
• Autonomous vehicle and UAV navigation in GNSS-challenged environments
• Resilient positioning for critical infrastructure and defense systems
• Asset tracking and logistics in remote or obstructed areas
• Complementary navigation for consumer devices and IoT

Benefits/Advantages
• Operates with unknown, non-cooperative LEO signals, enabling navigation where GNSS fails
• Demonstrated high accuracy
• Robust to interference and multipath
• Scalable to future LEO constellations

Test

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