Development of SDR-based Network Positioning Technology. LTE Reference Signals Reception and Processing Procedures

Abstract

Introduction. The search for technical solutions to improve the positioning accuracy of devices using the infrastructure of base stations of existing and planned cellular radio networks is an important area of research and development in the last decade. Interest in network positioning is due to the unreliable reception of signals from global navigation satellite systems in dense urban areas. The instrument for experimental approbation of technical solutions is the software and hardware of the SDR software defined radio technology. This work is a continuation of the research on the use of SDR technology for network positioning tasks in terms of issues related to the reception and processing of reference signals of the LTE standard. Materials and methods. The paper presents an experimentally tested sequence of procedures for receiving and processing LTE reference signals in order to collect primary differential-range measurements for software implementation on a mock-up of a user device built using SDR software defined radio technology. Results. The software implementation of the presented procedures underlies the SDR layout of the user device for receiving and processing reference signals of the LTE standard. Discussion and conclusions. Approbation of the operation of the SDR testbed of the user device in laboratory conditions with SDR testbeds of base stations, as well as in the field with base stations of functioning LTE networks, makes it possible to search for technical solutions to improve the accuracy of positioning.