GPS World

Tag: consumer wearables

  • GSA’s MyGalileoSolution competition deadline is Sept. 30

    GSA’s MyGalileoSolution competition deadline is Sept. 30

    MyGalileoSolution is the biggest competition ever organized by GSA with a prize pool of almost €1.5 million

    News from the European GNSS Agency

    The European GNSS Agency (GSA) has launched the MyGalileoSolution competition. The contest is targeting European innovators and entrepreneurs ready to develop location-based solutions, such as mobile applications, wearable-based solutions, asset management and tracking solutions, or robotics, leveraging Galileo as a source of positioning, navigation and/or timing. A wide participation from all Member States is expected.

    GSA has a successful track record in supporting and boosting GNSS-based innovative applications. For years, the agency has been leading several research and innovation initiatives such as the Galileo Masters, Horizon 2020 projects, and more recently European competitions like the 2019 MyGalileoApp and Hackathons across Europe and beyond.

    Two tracks for 56 prizes

    With a prize pool of almost € 1.5 million, MyGalileoSolution is the largest competition ever organized by the GSA. It consists of two independent and parallel tracks, each one with a list of goals and deliverables.

    Track 1 , From Idea to Prototype, aims to develop a beta version of an application or a prototype of a solution implementing an idea, reaching a minimum of 50% of its functionality.

    Track 2, From Prototype to Product, aims to develop a fully functional solution ready to be commercialised starting from a beta version of an application or a prototype.

    Participants are expected to leverage Galileo’s robust positioning and accurate timing and synchronization capabilities, showing how it can enable the development of the next generation of applications and services across a wide range of areas. In this competition the GSA is challenging innovators in four different areas: Crisis & Emergency Response, Smart Transport for Green Deal, Solution for Digital Age, and Cybersecurity.

    Galileo for location-based services

    With more than 1.5 billion Galileo-enabled smartphones and more than 51 million GNSS-enabled wearable devices in the market, location-based services (LBS) are booming. Accurate positioning and timing are at the heart of the growth and evolution of LBS, in addition the access to Android GNSS raw measurements has allowed for the creation of advanced GNSS positioning algorithms that enable the development of more ambitious smartphone-based applications.

    ‘’Galileo has set the trend for dual-frequency chipsets, which provide better accuracy and are more resistant to multipath in urban environments,” said Pascal Claudel, GSA acting executive director. “We are looking forward to seeing innovators launching their disruptive GNSS solutions and turning them into real businesses, hence leading to European growth, competitiveness and sustainability. There is ‘space’ for all types of innovation and we expect the participation of all Member States.”

    “Competitions like MyGalileoSolution are a great opportunity to quickly move from idea to market,” said Francesco Fiorito, leader of Argeo, the winning team of the 2019 MyGalileoApp competition. “It is a confidence boost for young entrepreneurs and their capacity to grow and generate new solutions and business,” Claudel concluded.

    Deadlines and more information

    The deadline for submission for both categories is Sept. 30. Projects will be evaluated in terms of their innovative nature, market potential, feasibility and Galileo relevance by a panel of GSA experts.

  • Sony to release high-precision GNSS receiver for IoT, wearables

    Sony to release high-precision GNSS receiver for IoT, wearables

    Sony GNSS receivers. (left) CXD5610GF, (right) CXD5610GG. (Image: Sony)
    Sony GNSS receivers. (left) CXD5610GF, (right) CXD5610GG. (Image: Sony)

    Sony Corporation plans to release a high-precision GNSS receiver for use in internet of things (IoT) and wearable devices. The new receivers have low power consumption for dual-band positioning operation — as little as 9 mW.

    Increasing use of IoT and wearable devices that utilize location information has resulted in growing demand for GNSS receiver large-scale integrated circuits (LSIs). Precise positioning and reliable communications must be ensured to maintain proper operation of IoT and wearable devices, which are being used even in difficult communication environments and unstable conditions, such as multipath propagation situations caused by reflection off the ground or nearby buildings or the effects of the swinging of the arms when attached to a person’s wrist.

    Additionally, device size constraints necessitate a compact battery, whereas satellite signal reception and positioning when using GNSS functionality typically consumes a lot of power, resulting in poor battery life.

    The new LSIs support not only the conventional L1 band reception, but also L5 band reception, which is currently being expanded across GNSS constellations, thereby making them capable of dual-band positioning. Sony’s original algorithms enable stable, high-precision positioning even under the difficult conditions unique to wearable devices.

    Also, the use of Sony’s original high-frequency analog circuit technology and digital processing technology delivers low power consumption during continuous positioning for dual-band reception operation.

    The new LSIs will drive greater opportunities to develop new products and services such as smartwatches and other wearable devices that cannot use external power supplies, as well as IoT devices used for applications such as trackers. They also show promise in a wide variety of applications which require precise positioning and stable communications, such as automotive services.

    High-precision, stable positioning via dual-band operation

    Compared with the L1 band, the new signal method used in the L5 band employs signal units that are 10 times narrower to measure the range between the GNSS satellite and receiver, improving positioning precision and amplifying the transmission power from the satellite, resulting in high-precision, high-sensitivity positioning.

    Quick, accurate GNSS signal reception via Sony’s original algorithms enables positioning that is more stable than conventional products even in changing reception environments, such as obstructing from buildings when on the move and acceleration of wearables due to swinging of the arms. This also leads to quick positioning time even from cold starts, which require more time.

    Additionally, Sony’s original digital signal processing technology enables countermeasures against the performance degradation caused by radio interference from aircraft communications as well as spoofing attacks and other issues, thereby improving resistance to interference.

    Low power consumption and high sensitivity are delivered by Sony’s original analog circuit technology, which enables low-voltage operation, as well as digital circuits and software algorithms that enable software processing via low clock frequencies. This innovative design keeps power consumption to only 9 mW, the lowest in the industry, when simultaneously receiving signals in both the L1 and L5 bands.

    Built-in memory

    The new LSI’s feature built-in non-volatile memory for storing firmware, etc. This design makes it possible to update the firmware without adding externally mounted memory and contributes to a more compact design for IoT and wearable devices by saving space. It also makes it possible to complete data-processing in the products, resulting in low power consumption and improved access speed.

    Key specifications

    Power Consumption 1.5 GHz/1.2 GHz simultaneous reception 9 mW 11 mW
    1.5 GHz reception 6 mW 7 mW
    1.2 GHz reception 7 mW 8 mW

    Hot Start Sensitivity: –163dBm

    Tracking Sensitivity: –167dBm

    Hot Start Initial Positioning Calculation Time: Less than 1 second (at -130dBm)

    User Interface: UART, I2C, SPI

    Package: XFBGA 54 pin, LFBGA 72 pin

    External Dimensions (LWH): 3.2×3.7×0.5 mm; 7.0×8.0×1.4 mm

  • Antenova ships tiny GNSS active antenna module

    Antenova ships tiny GNSS active antenna module

    Antenova is shipping its ultra-small GNSS active antenna module for tiny positioning devices, the RADIONOVA M20047-1. The antenna module includes a low noise amplifier (LNA) and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter for better positioning from difficult locations.

    Antenova Ltd. is a manufacturer of antennas and RF antenna modules for connected devices and the internet of things.

    The RADIONOVA M20047-1 is designed for small consumer devices such as smartwatches. (Photo: Antenova)
    The RADIONOVA M20047-1 is designed for small consumer devices such as smartwatches. (Photo: Antenova)

    The RADIONOVA M20047-1 is an active antenna module for GNSS applications in the 1559-1609 MHz satellite bands using GPS, GLONASS, Galileo or BeiDou.

    The M20047-1 antenna module comprises an SMD antenna with built-in active components: an LNA filter and SAW to boost antenna performance — so designers will not need to add these — contained in a compact FR4 part with low power consumption, measuring 7.0 x 7.0 x 0.9 millimeters and weighing less than 2 grams.

    The onboard LNA and SAW filter act to boost the signal to the GNSS processor in environments where there is a restricted view of the sky or where line-of-sight to the horizon is difficult, the company said.

    Architecture of the Antenova antenna. (Image: Antenova)
    Architecture of the Antenova antenna. (Image: Antenova)

    Antenova has also added an external matching feature to compensate for any de-tuning of the antenna caused by proximity to other components, such as a plastic case or a battery.

    The clear-out area required by the antenna module is only 7.0  x 5.0 millimeters. This, with its tiny size, makes the M20047-1 suitable for small positioning devices where space on the PCB is tight, such as wearable devices, asset tracking devices, sports cameras and equipment and smartwatches.

    The M20047-1 is an alternative to Antenova’s Sinica antenna (part no. SR4G008), which Antenova also recommends for accurate positioning.

    The M20047-1 was first announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.

    Antenova’s antennas are specifically designed for easy integration. The datasheet and evaluation kit for the M20047-1 are available from www.antenova.com. Antenova also provides full engineering support, antenna testing, tuning and integration for its customers.