GPS World

Tag: high-precision GPS

  • U-blox positioning enables massive drone light show

    U-blox positioning enables massive drone light show

    The 10-minute-long drone show included a flying dove with a wingspan of 600 meters, visible from three kilometers away. (Photo: u-blox)
    The 10-minute-long drone show included a flying dove with a wingspan of 600 meters, visible from three kilometers away. (Photo: u-blox)

    U-blox supplied the high-accuracy technology that made it possible to fly a massive swarm of drones. The simultaneous flight of 2,198 miniature unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) was launched into the night sky over Saint Petersburg, Russia, on Sept. 3.

    The 10-minute-long drone show included a flying dove with a wingspan of 600 meters, visible from three kilometers away.

    Geoscan, which built and programmed the drones and ran the display, chose u-blox positioning technology for its combination of accuracy, reliability, performance and ability to access positional data from both the GLONASS and GPS satellite navigation constellations.

    The 10-centimeter-wide Geoscan Salute drones were designed for use in group flights and drone shows. The drones use u-blox NEO-M8P high-precision GNSS modules to provide the positioning data to create a fluid drone show. Salute drones return to their base stations automatically at the end of a show.

    The NEO-M8P module implements a real-time kinematic (RTK) approach that improves positional accuracy by comparing the phase of a signal being broadcast from a positioning satellite with that of the same signal that has been received and rebroadcast from a fixed base station. The accuracy gained in this way enables drones to calculate their relative positions to within millimeters, and their absolute positions to within 1 centimeter of the intended position.

    Geoscan has been producing drone displays for the past two years, starting with 40 drones flying at once. “The u-blox modules in our Geoscan Salute drones have improved our drones’ positioning accuracies to about one centimeter, and have helped reduce pre-launch preparation time,” said Semen Lapko, head of Drone Show Project, Geoscan. “Drones now move more quickly and accurately, while also operating more efficiently.”

  • VersaLogic offers high-precision GPS in Mini PCIe format

    VersaLogic has released an industrial temperature GPS module that provides access to multiple satellite systems. It offers higher accuracy than previous models, for both location and timing data, the company said.

    Its multi-channel capability also allows better accuracy and coverage in difficult environments such as cityscape and building canyons.

    “The need for enhanced accuracy and precision timing data is growing in embedded computing. The G3 has time pulse accuracy that is less than 20ns when outdoors and 0.5 seconds indoors,” said Kerry Howell, VersaLogic product manager. “When combined with its ability to use multiple satellite systems simultaneously, the G3 becomes a very valuable positioning tool.”

    The advanced GPS receiver provides two simultaneous receiver paths with 72-channel operation for stable satellite tracking, as well as aided startup for fast initial signal acquisition. Increased coverage is provided by support for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou systems.

    In addition to positioning and navigation applications, GPS/GNSS signals are widely used as precision time or frequency references for remote or distributed wireless communication, industrial, financial and power-distribution equipment.

    The G3’s extremely small Mini PCIe format allows it to be added to a system with little impact to the overall size of the system. The G3 is compatible with a variety of popular x86 operating systems including Windows, Windows Embedded and Linux using standard software drivers.

    The G3 is designed and tested for industrial temperature (-40 degrees to +85 degrees Celsius) operation and meets MIL-STD-202G specifications to withstand high impact and vibration. It is RoHS compliant, and includes VersaLogic’s 5+ year production life guarantee.

    It is customizable, even in low OEM quantities. Customization options include conformal coating, revision locks, custom labeling, customized testing and screening and more.