The Design of a Wave Height Meter with Kinematic PPP Algorithm

Abstract

The wave height meter is a device for measuring the frequency and the magnitude of change in sea level at any point in the ocean. The wave height meter is used to analyze the flow of tides and waves, and to detect tsunami. Wave height can be known by measuring the change of the water surface in height, by using detection devices, such as an ultrasonic transceiver, pressure Sensors, and other sensors. Therefore, the wave height meter is fixed on the ground, or placed on a buoy. However, if the wave height meter is fixed on the ground, it would be difficult to install far out at sea. In addition, the data obtained from the device is discontinuous. Recently, the GPS buoy based on RTK is used to measure the sea level. However, RTK will inevitably be less accurate, when the distance between reference stations increases. Therefore, in order to continuously measure the wave height, without the constraints of an installation site, a new system is needed to replace the sensor or RTK-based wave height meter. In this paper, a wave height meter based on kinematic PPP (Precise Point Positioning) is designed. The proposed system is composed of a control center, and a GPS receiver equipped buoy. This system contains an application of the kinematic PPP based position estimation algorithm, using dual frequency: GPS L1 and GPS L2. To estimate the precise position of the receiver, precise satellite orbit products provided by the Germe known by measuring the change of the water surface in height, by using detection devices, such as an ultrasonic transceiver, pressure Sensors, and other sensors. Therefore, the wave height meter is fixed on the ground, or placed on a buoy. However, if the wave height meter is fixed on the ground, it would be difficult to install far out at sea. In addition, the data obtained from the device is discontinuous. Recently, the GPS buoy based on RTK is used to measure the sea level. However, RTK will inevitably be less accurate, when the distance between reference stations increases. Therefore, in order to continuously measure the wave height, without the constraints of an installation site, a new system is needed to replace the sensor or RTK-based wave height meter. In this paper, a wave height meter based on kinematic PPP (Precise Point Positioning) is designed. The proposed system is composed of a control center, and a GPS receiver equipped buoy. This system contains an application of the kinematic PPP based position estimation algorithm, using dual frequency: GPS L1 and GPS L2. To estimate the precise position of the receiver, precise satellite orbit products provided by the Germ