Design of a GPS and Galileo Multi-Frequency Front-End

GNSS platforms such as the American Global Positioning System (GPS) or the Russian GLONASS system are being continuously updated with new satellites offering new signals, new frequencies and new functionalities. Moreover, new GNSS systems such as the European Union´s Galileo system or the Japan´s quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS) are currently being developed and planned to be in function within a couple of years. Taking advantage of these new signals requires the use of a multi-frequency radiofrequency (RF) front-end (FE). In this paper, we highlight the design of such a FE based on a sub-sampling architecture. Indeed, with the technology advances in the integrated circuits (IC) industry, and more particularly the availability of GHz bandwidth analog-to-digital converters (ADC), this is one of the most attractive ways to achieve a multi-frequency FE. While a sub-sampling architecture has already been presented in some other publications, we present a methodology that takes into account the effects of the filters characteristics and out-of-band noise. As a practical example, we apply our methodology to the design of a multi-frequency RF FE for the simultaneousacquisition of the GPS L1C; L2C; L5, and Galileo E1_b,c; E5_a,b signals.