Multicarrier Constant Envelope Composite Signal - A Solution to the Next Generation Satellite Navigation Signals

The booming development of modern global navigation satellite systems ( GNSS) greatly promotes the evolution of modulation and multiplexing technology. However, the expanding applications and refined services require the new generation GNSS to have more signals and higher quality of navigation performance, which creates a dilemma in the tradeoff of multiple essential performances in the signal design of future GNSS. In order to get out of the cycle of contradictions in future GNSS signal design, the concept of using multicarrier modulation and multiplexing joint design is proposed in this paper. In the proposed multicarrier constant-envelope composite ( MCC) signal, several types of signal components located at multiple different central frequencies are treated as a whole, and the modulation and multiplexing of them are designed and optimized jointly. The multiplexing is transparent for receivers, so that it provides multiple receiving strategies for receivers. Performance analysis with some typical case studies of this technique demonstrates that the MCC signal can not only achieve outstanding ranging accuracy without significantly increasing RF interference to the existing signals in the same band, but also provide users with diversified and targeted service without noticeably deteriorating the multiplexing efficiency onboard the satellite. It provides a promising solution for the next generation GNSS signal design.