Multibeam antenna array and software switching for low-complexity low-cost GNSS beamforming

The received signals from GNSS satellites are low power and below the noise floor. Furthermore, GNSS antennas have low directivity to receive all signals simultaneously. Beamforming improves the carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) before further processing by improving the directivity towards a specific satellite using an antenna array. Creating a beam for each satellite is processing intensive and leads to high costs. This paper presents a multibeam antenna array and software channel selection for low-cost beamforming for GNSS applications. Theoretical evaluations show benefits to signal gain and interference suppression, and practical results show an initial proof of concept.