System and method for detecting spoofing of GNSS signals

1. A method for operating a Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver in the presence of spoofed signals, the GNSS receiver having a plurality of satellite signal receive chains, the method comprising:

receiving signals from said plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

obtaining relative amplitude and phase values of respective signals as provided by a pair of satellite signal receive chains as an amplitude and phase of one receive chain relative to another from among said plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

clustering said received signals on the basis of said obtained relative amplitude and phase values; and

asserting a spoofing detection state in response to said clustering revealing a cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over a predetermined time frame,

wherein said pair of satellite signal receive chains processes two orthogonal polarizations captured by a shared antenna element.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising providing a signal to an end user in response to said spoofing detection state being asserted.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising performing a position determination on the basis of said received signals, whereby signals belonging to said cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over the predetermined time frame are excluded.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein respective corresponding signals in said pair of satellite signal receive chains are despreaded with a common local code and carrier signal, using a filtered version of a despreading result of one or both said signals to feedback a local signal timing.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising excluding from said clustering any signals whose relative amplitude value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising producing a signal devoid of a spoofed component by performing the following steps on a first signal as provided by a first one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains and a second signal as provided by a second one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains, corresponding to said first signal:

scaling said first signal with a relative amplitude corresponding to a point within a cluster that represents spoofed signals as detected in said asserting step;

rotating the scaled first signal with a relative phase corresponding to said point within said cluster; and

subtracting said scaled and rotated first signal from said second signal.

7. A Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver comprising a plurality of satellite signal receive chains, a shared antenna element, and processing means operatively connected to said satellite signal receive chains, said processing means being configured to:

receive signals from said plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

obtain relative amplitude and phase values of respective signals as provided by a pair of satellite signal receive chains as the amplitude and phase of one receive chain relative to another from among said plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

cluster said received signals on the basis of said obtained relative amplitude and phase values; and

assert a spoofing detection state in response to said clustering revealing a cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over a predetermined time frame,

wherein said pair of satellite signal receive chains is configured to processes two orthogonal polarizations captured by said shared antenna element.

8. The GNSS receiver according to claim 7 , further adapted to provide a signal to an end user in response to said spoofing detection state being asserted.

9. The GNSS receiver according to claim 7 , wherein said processing means is further configured to perform a position determination on the basis of said received signals, whereby signals belonging to said cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over a predetermined time frame are excluded.

10. A non-transitory computer program product comprising at least one machine-executable instruction configured to cause Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver, when executed in a processor of said GNSS receiver, to perform the steps of:

receiving signals from a plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

obtaining relative amplitude and phase values of respective signals as provided by a pair of satellite signal receive chains as an amplitude and phase of one receive chain relative to another from among said plurality of satellite signal receive chains;

clustering said received signals on the basis of said obtained relative amplitude and phase values; and

asserting a spoofing detection state when said clustering reveals a cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over a predetermined time frame,

wherein said pair of satellite signal receive chains processes two orthogonal polarizations captured by a shared antenna element.

11. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising performing a position determination on the basis of said received signals, whereby signals belonging to said cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over Flail the predetermined time frame are excluded.

12. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising excluding from said clustering any signals whose relative amplitude value exceeds a predetermined threshold.

13. The method according to claim 2 , wherein respective corresponding signals in said pair of satellite signal receive chains are despreaded with a common local code and carrier signal, using a filtered version of a despreading result of one or both said signals to feedback a local signal timing.

14. The method according to claim 3 , wherein respective corresponding signals in said pair of satellite signal receive chains are despreaded with a common local code and carrier signal, using a filtered version of a despreading result of one or both said signals to feedback a local signal timing.

15. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising producing a signal devoid of a spoofed component by performing the following steps on a first signal as provided by a first one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains and a second signal as provided by a second one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains, corresponding to said first signal:

scaling said first signal with a relative amplitude corresponding to a point within a cluster that represents spoofed signals as detected in said asserting step;

rotating the scaled first signal with a relative phase corresponding to said point within said cluster; and

subtracting said scaled and rotated first signal from said second signal.

16. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising producing a signal devoid of a spoofed component by performing the following steps on a first signal as provided by a first one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains and a second signal as provided by a second one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains, corresponding to said first signal:

scaling said first signal with a relative amplitude corresponding to a point within a cluster that represents spoofed signals as detected in said asserting step;

rotating the scaled first signal with a relative phase corresponding to said point within said cluster; and

subtracting said scaled and rotated first signal from said second signal.

17. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising producing a signal devoid of a spoofed component by performing the following steps on a first signal as provided by a first one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains and a second signal as provided by a second one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains, corresponding to said first signal:

scaling said first signal with a relative amplitude corresponding to a point within a cluster that represents spoofed signals as detected in said asserting step;

rotating the scaled first signal with a relative phase corresponding to said point within said cluster; and

subtracting said scaled and rotated first signal from said second signal.

18. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising producing a signal devoid of a spoofed component by performing the following steps on a first signal as provided by a first one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains and a second signal as provided by a second one of said pair of satellite signal receive chains, corresponding to said first signal:

scaling said first signal with a relative amplitude corresponding to a point within a cluster that represents spoofed signals as detected in said asserting step;

rotating the scaled first signal with a relative phase corresponding to said point within said cluster; and

subtracting said scaled and rotated first signal from said second signal.

19. The GNSS receiver according to claim 8 , wherein said processing means is further configured to perform a position determination on the basis of said received signals, whereby signals belonging to said cluster of signals having relative amplitude and phase values that are sufficiently close together over a predetermined time frame are excluded.