Performance Evaluation of GNSS Position Augmentation Methods for Autonomous Vehicles in Urban Environments

Area of Science:

• * Navigation Systems Engineering
• * Geomatics Engineering
• * Intelligent Transportation Systems

Background:

• * Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are crucial for autonomous vehicle (AV) navigation.
• * Position augmentation techniques enhance GNSS accuracy for AVs.
• * Urban environments present significant challenges to GNSS performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To compare the position accuracy of different GNSS augmentation techniques.
• * To identify limitations and select optimal techniques for urban AV navigation.
• * To evaluate real-time performance in challenging urban conditions.

Main Methods:

• * Performance tests conducted in Wuppertal and Duesseldorf, Germany.
• * Utilized the Applanix POS-LV 220 navigation system on a test vehicle.
• * Evaluated Differential GNSS, Real-time Kinematic (RTK), and Real-time eXtended (RTX).
• * Employed Root Mean Square (RMS) error for performance comparison and HD maps for validation.

Main Results:

• * Real-time eXtended (RTX) demonstrated superior performance over Real-time Kinematic (RTK).
• * RTX provided more robust position information in urban environments.
• * Centimeter-level accuracy was achieved with RTX in challenging conditions.

Conclusions:

• * RTX is a highly effective position augmentation technique for urban AV navigation.
• * The study validates RMS error as a reliable metric for performance analysis.
• * Accurate and trustworthy positioning is achievable in complex urban settings with advanced augmentation.