GPS compass: novel navigation equipment

A GPS (Global Positioning System)-based compass is designed, which consists of three parts: the pointer, the sensor, and the controller. Using the carrier phase signals from GPS satellites, the 1 m long pointer equipped with two GPS receivers can aim to the desired direction with accuracy less than one degree. A baseline rotation method is proposed to resolve the problem of integer ambiguities. The classical antenna swap method is simply a special case of the rotation method. The rotating character of the compass provides a convenient environment for applying the turning technique. Such a compass may replace the traditional heading devices in navigation systems, such as the magnetic compasses or gyroscopes.