The receiver of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is likely to lose tracking for a GNSS signal in some degraded environments. To solve this problem, this paper analyzes both the bandwidth and the dynamic stress errors of the carrier tracking loop (CTL) of a GNSS receiver, and then designs a new adaptive tracking algorithm for GNSS signals. First, we design an error extraction module to extract phase errors so that a CTL can estimate phase errors without using a loop discriminator, which can reduce the requirements of the carrier-to-noise ratio (CNR) of GNSS signals. Second, we design a motion detection module to detect the real-time movement status of GNSS receivers. Then, using its detecting results as inputs, we design an algorithm to automatically make the CTL switch between a second-order loop and a third-order loop. Third, we design a bandwidth-adjusting module to adjust the bandwidth of CTL, according to the CNR and the movement status of a GNSS receiver. Finally, a simulation is performed to verify that our adaptive carrier tracking algorithm can effectively improve the precision of CTL, as well as enhance its dynamic range.
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