Studying the effect of different types and dimensions of materials for vertical reflective surfaces on multipath of GPS signal

Abstract EN

Multipath is one of major sources of error in GPS code and carrier phase measurements in the differential mode of operation.

this paper includes four studies.

the first one is the detection of the multipath errors from five tests carried out by setting up different material types of the vertical reflective surface (Aluminium panel, glass panel, ceramic panel, wood board, and without reflective surface).

the effects of different material types of reflective surface on the pseudo-range multipath are analysed using TEQC software.

the results obtained in this paper prove that different material types of vertical reflective do not give the same multipath error performance in Aluminium gave large multipath error, followed by glass, followed by ceramic, then wood.

in the second study is the detection of the multipath errors from three tests carried out by setting up at Aluminium panel dimensions difference (0.75 x 0.75 m, 1 x 1 m and 1.25 x 1.25 m) as a vertical reflective surface and one test is without multipath then analysed by using TEQC, the results obtained in this paper prove that the multipath error of GPS increases with the increase in Aluminium panel dimensions.

due to the occurrence of the largest multipath error in Aluminium, in the third study, a multipath error was detected in four tests by positioning the 1.25 x 1.25 m Aluminium panel at different distances (1 m, 2 m, 3 m, and without panel) from the antenna receiver, and it was found that the more the distance between the antenna and the Aluminium receiver reduces the multipath error.

in the fourth study, four tests were carried out by positioning the Aluminium panel so that it inclines from the horizontal at different angles (10°, 20°, 30°, 40°) at a fixed distance of 1 m from the antenna, each test separately and found the multipath error decreases with the increase in the angle of inclination of the panel, as the statistical method for comparison and tests using the statistical t-test were presented in the previous studies.