GPS World

Tag: PCIe slot card

  • 5G promises deeper connections

    5G promises deeper connections

    Orolia developed the Skydel GSG-8, a PNT test solution in its GSG family of simulators, to deliver GNSS signal testing and sensor simulation performance in an easy to use, upgradable and scalable platform. (Photo: Orolia)
    Orolia developed the Skydel GSG-8, a PNT test solution in its GSG family of simulators, to deliver GNSS signal testing and sensor simulation performance in an easy to use, upgradable and scalable platform. (Photo: Orolia)

    We discussed complementary PNT with Erik Oehler, marketing director at Orolia.

    What are some of the most promising approaches to complementary PNT and how does simulation technology help?

    5G is the most promising for the future. I believe the benefits in infrastructure, speed, precision, reliability, and the industry incentives 5G offer are superior to GNSS. Alternative signals of opportunity and new commercial satellite-based providers are always valuable as extra layers of resilience. However, PNT from 5G is not quite ready yet. There will be a transition period during which systems use GNSS and these signals of opportunity simultaneously, so simulation enables receivers of any complementary signal to be tested in the same environments and with the same potential threats faced by primary constellation signals.

    How does Orolia fit in that mix?

    Orolia has the most atomic clocks in orbit, including those aboard the Galileo constellation. We integrate anti-jam antennas and build Interference Detection and Mitigation (IDM) into our products. We partner with companies that offer alternative signals, such as STL from Satelles. Our SecureSync NTP and PTP time servers live in the world’s biggest data centers and support encrypted signals, such as M and Y code for our militaries. We innovate with industry leaders such as Meta on building a better PCIe Time Card. We offer edge time servers with the ability to automatically add Hoptroff’s Traceable Time as a Service. If 5G PNT becomes a standard, we are already providing industry leaders such as Anritsu with solutions for acceptance testing on a major carrier’s backbone. With our pending acquisition by Safran and access to a world-leading portfolio of INS components, we are one of the most qualified companies in the world to solve nearly any PNT challenge.

    What kinds of complementary PNT are most useful in addressing specifically the challenges posed by jamming and spoofing, and how does simulation help?

    In two technical notes published by NIST, they recognize STL as one of four recommended solutions for PNT resilience and the only one being both independent of GNSS and capable of sub-microsecond accuracy. Being closer to Earth, it is a stronger signal, making it 1,000 times less susceptible to jamming. Additionally, because it is encrypted it is inherently immune to spoofing. The aforementioned Hoptroff TTaS is time delivered over VPN, removing the outside environment component completely. For positioning and navigation, the integration of an IMU provides a contiguous PNT solution even during periods of GNSS denial, analogous to how an atomic clock provides precise time holdover during these denial periods. Combined with anti-jam antenna technology and IDM software, a robust PNT solution is always available.

    Simulation helps by (1) identifying the vulnerabilities your PNT system might have (or could have in the future to evolving threats) and (2) verifying the total integrated resilient system. Our GSG-8 Advanced GNSS Simulator supports hundreds of GNSS full spectrum signals, custom signals, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of integrated IMUs at up to 1000 Hz iteration rate. Our Skydel Wavefront and Anechoic simulators can verify the most complex GNSS anti-jam antenna systems.

  • Skydel releases precise clock for GNSS systems

    Skydel releases precise clock for GNSS systems

    Skydel has released a new clock distribution module for the GNSS industry.

    Photo: Skydel
    Photo: Skydel

    Designed in a PCIe card format, the CDM-5 is a compact and precise clock intended for use with GNSS and other RF systems. It can synchronize up to five devices and can be integrated into custom hardware systems.

    Skydel’s CDM-5 provides 10-MHz and 1-PPS signals for up to five devices that need tight and precise synchronization. It is suitable for PCIe-based software-defined radios (SDR) installed in rackmount or desktop PCs, and also can be used for any other applications that require a precise PC-based timing reference.

    Skydel’s CDM-5 clock distribution module features two operating modes—internal or external— that are selected with the bracket-mounted switch.

    In internal mode, the CMD-5’s internal clock signal is extracted from the onboard high-grade oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO).

    When operating in external mode, CDM-5 accepts input signals in the form of 10-MHz and 1-PPS, which are then redistributed via five matched-length traces. Split signals are amplified to maintain the power level across all distributed paths.

    Additionally, CDM-5 will regenerate 1 PPS from an external 10-MHz-only source if a 1-PPS source is not available.

    The CDM-5 can be integrated into a custom assembly by removing the bracket plate and powering the board through its 12V DC connector. When the bracket is removed, the operating mode can be toggled using the onboard switch.

    Key features:

    • Timing and frequency source with five-way distribution of 10-MHz and 1-PPS signals
    • PCIe form factor for rackmount or desktop PC
    • Two operating modes: internal clock (OCXO) or external clock (10MHz and 1PPS)
    • Supports standalone operation with 12V DC power supply

  • Research Online: Receiver with open software interface

    For research purposes, the GNSS Receivers with Open Software Interface (GOOSE) hardware platform provides a development chain from experimental PCIe slot card to a professional embedded GNSS receiver.

    The platform can be seen as a hardware-assisted software receiver where computational complex methods are implemented on digital FPGA hardware whereas algorithms can be developed and implemented on receiver side on a user-friendly GNU/Linux system. A transparent access to the hardware is made available via the Open GNSS Receiver Protocol that gives deep access to the hardware control and enables deepcoupling of inertial sensors and optimized precise positioning solutions.

    It is therefore targeted at researchers, software developers and algorithm experts to build up new methods and applications. At the end of the project, 20 GOOSE platforms will be available for selected researchers for free.

    The main benefits for potential product developers are an improved development process for GNSS receiver firmware, the possibility to embed application-specific software on the receiver, an access to all potentially relevant data for an improved position solution based on open white-box approach and the enabling of deeply coupling inertial sensors.

    By Matthias Overbeck, Fabio Garzia, Alexander Popugaev, Oliver Kurz, Frank Forster, and Wolfgang Felber, Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, and Ayse Sicramaz Ayaz, Sunjun Ko, and Bernd Eissfeller, Universitat der Bundeswehr, Germany. Presented at ION GNSS+ 2015.