GPS World

Tag: FlexFusion

  • Topcon and Fixposition announce collaboration for integrated tech

    Topcon and Fixposition announce collaboration for integrated tech

    Topcon Positioning Systems and Fixposition have agreed to collaborate on integrated technology for future product offerings. The agreement was announced at Geo Week 2026 in Denver, Colorado.

    “Topcon provides high-precision GNSS positioning technologies for geomatics, construction and agriculture applications worldwide,” explained Ron Oberlander, head of the Topcon Geomatics Platform. “Working with companies such as Fixposition — specialists in visual RTK (real-time kinematic) and visual-aided positioning —  helps create added value for our customers.

    According to Topcon, its customers are increasingly working in environments where satellite connection can be challenging, such as dense urban environments, and need consistent, reliable positioning to maintain productivity. Fixposition offers technology that augments satellite positioning, beneficial for users even while working inside structures and in indoor-outdoor transitions, without disrupting workflows by combining RTK GNSS with artificial intelligence to ensure position accuracy. “We see this AI-enabled technology as an innovative integration with our next-generation GNSS solutions,” Oberlander said.

    “We’re proud to supply Fixposition’s xFusion, vision and multi-modality fusion positioning technology to support Topcon’s next-generation GNSS solutions,” said Zhenzhong Su, CEO and co-founder of Fixposition. “We look forward to bringing this new solution to market — helping surveying professionals across geomatics, construction and agriculture deliver faster results and get more done without compromising quality, even in GNSS-challenging environments.”

    Fixposition has been integrating Topcon RTK corrections into its Vision-RTK sensors since 2023, when the companies announced an agreement providing Fixposition customers in North America and Europe with access to the Topnet Live RTK corrections service network.

  • CEA-Leti and Orolia announce FlexFusion positioning and navigation technology

    CEA-Leti and Orolia announce FlexFusion positioning and navigation technology

    ​Combining data from GNSS and IMUs ensures accuracy during GNSS outages.

    Leti, a research institute of France’s CEA Tech, and Orolia have announced a new sensor-data-fusion engine that ensures resilient positioning and navigation even in cases of GNSS jamming or spoofing.

    Orolia is a leader in accuracy and performance for terrestrial, aeronautic and naval transportation positioning, navigation and timing applications.

    Called FlexFusion, the algorithm technology processes data from GNSS, inertial management units (IMU) and odometers to provide precise positioning in all conditions.

    Orolia will present its latest technological developments at ION GNSS+, booth 311, taking place in Miami, Florida, Sept. 17-19.

    FlexFusion’s design relies on a modelization of GNSS and IMU (triple-axis accelerometer, triple-axis gyrometer and triple-axis magnetometer) output for synthetic trajectory generation.

    The fusion approach exploits Bayesian estimators, such as Kalman filters. The first algorithm was setup on modeling signals, and its optimization relies on an extensive real-life sample database acquired through field test. This process used CEA-Leti’s HYLOC reference platform, which provides a reference positioning of a few centimeters.

    More than 100 trajectory samples were collected in urban, suburban, forest and mountain environments with different GNSS outage conditions.

    The new positioning technology supports edge artificial intelligence (AI) because the data-fusion algorithm is performed locally to ensure that positioning and navigation information is available locally and is failsafe even in case of jamming or spoofing of GNSS data.

    “Recent events have demonstrated that it is possible to change the course of a ship or force a drone to land in a hostile area by simply spoofing GPS signals,” said CEA-Leti CEO Emmanuel Sabonnadière. “The increasing reliance on a GNSS for the execution of military operations and terrestrial, aeronautic and naval transportation requires using positioning and navigation systems that are able to detect GNSS outages and provide resilient position and navigation features.”

    A version of FlexFusion that demands less of the CPU implements a loose coupling algorithm that uses GNSS receiver-output positions as entry of the algorithm. An advanced version implements a tight coupling fusion algorithm of GNSS and IMU data that significantly enhances the resilience of positioning and navigation under real-world conditions.

    This novel approach enables total control of treatments and filtering applied to raw signals, which increases performance of the fusion. It also improves positioning performance in particular if there are fewer than four GNSS satellites available, or when there are recurrent multi-trajectories, which sometimes occur in urban canyons.

    CEA-Leti has licensed the patented FlexFusion algorithm to Orolia.

    “Orolia is integrating FlexFusion in a new version of its VersaPNT product, the first compact, all-in-one and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system for vehicles and blue force tracking, tactical UAV navigation and marine applications,” said Thierry Delhomme, EMEA general manager, Orolia. “This powerful algorithm helps deliver on the promise of VersaPNT as an always-accurate PNT system that operates in any environment.”

    FlexFusion development was supported and partially funded by the Easytech program of IRT Nanoelec, thanks to the French National Program “Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir” ANR-10-AIRT-05.