Smartphone GNSS Booster: Centimeter-Level Pedestrian Positioning Using a Portable Signal Re-Radiator

Abstract:High-precision positioning using the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) embedded in smartphones is demanded for sidewalk-level pedestrian navigation and pinpoint location-based applications. However, current smartphone positioning accuracy for pedestrians remains at the meter level. This is mainly because limitations of the compact linearly polarized (LP) antenna in smartphones increase GNSS observation noise and hinder stable carrier phase tracking. In this paper, we propose an external GNSS signal re-radiation system that boosts smartphone GNSS observation quality while still using the smartphone's built-in GNSS receiver and antenna. The system directly connects a compact active helical antenna and a thin passive patch antenna for re-radiation, and is designed to be attached directly to the smartphone. The proposed GNSS booster achieves (1) reduced thermal noise and stable signal tracking via increased received signal strength, (2) improved multipath robustness compared with a LP antenna, and (3) stabilization of antenna phase center variation. Static experiments confirm a substantial improvement in the observation quality of GNSS carrier phase measurements compared with standard smartphone positioning. Furthermore, in pedestrian experiments, the proposed booster enabled stable carrier phase integer ambiguity resolutions, achieving centimeter-level positioning using a smartphone.

Robotics (cs.RO)

arXiv:2609.23456 [cs.RO]

(or arXiv:2609.23456v1 [cs.RO] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.23456 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

Proceedings of the ION 2026 Pacific PNT Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 2026, pp. 512-524

https://doi.org/10.33012/2026.20630 Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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