Author: Tracy Cozzens

Using artificial intelligence (AI), the oneNav receiver improves accuracy and reliability for location-dependent applications and services.

A new L5-only GNSS receiver is now available from oneNav. The mobile receiver provides high location accuracy with half the footprint of existing solutions.

OneNav has signed a strategic partnership agreement with In-Q-Tel Inc., providing U.S. intelligence and defense agencies with a GNSS technology solution that is the first of its kind, according to the company. The company also closed a $21 million Series B funding round, led by GV, with participation from Norwest Venture Partners and GSR Ventures, bringing total funding to $33 million.

“Navigation satellite constellations are getting a major upgrade — L5 signaling. oneNav has built the first Pure L5 mobile receiver to leverage these modernized signals, and we will deliver our solution in a flexible licensing model, as a scalable and customizable IP core,” said Steve Poizner, co-founder and CEO of oneNav. “I’m proud to be working with such an outstanding team of GNSS experts, as well as our top-notch investors GV, Norwest and GSR.”

“Pure L5 is a more cost-, size- and power-efficient method to enable the benefits of modernized signals compared to current hybrid solutions,” added Paul McBurney, oneNav co-founder and CTO.

Other GNSS solutions that fuel location-based services — rideshare, smartphone navigation and 911 emergency calls — depend on L1 satellite signals developed in the 1970s. According to oneNav, legacy L1 systems can have significant accuracy deficiencies, especially in dense urban areas, placing users on the wrong side of the street or on the wrong block.

L1 signals are also susceptible to jamming. Recently, satellite constellations have been upgraded with state-of-the-art L5 signaling. L5 enables higher accuracy, broadcasts in a protected frequency band, has modern error correction and is transmitted at higher power.

OneNav’s Pure L5 solution is built from the ground up to fully leverage modernized L5 signals from the GPS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS navigation satellite constellations. Unlike current L1+L5 hybrid solutions that must first acquire on L1, oneNav’s Pure L5 solution both acquires and tracks on the new L5 signals, without L1 aiding, thereby taking full advantage of L5 benefits.

By eliminating the need for L1 circuitry, oneNav cuts GNSS RF size, power and cost in half. Supercharged by AI/machine learning, oneNav Pure L5 delivers much higher accuracy, even in challenging areas such as urban canyons. OneNav Pure L5 is ideal for highly space-constrained devices such as smartphones, wearables and IoT tracking modules. The solution is delivered in a semiconductor IP license package that includes register-transfer level (RTL), software and reference designs that can be integrated into a system on a chip (SOC) or built as a discrete chip.

Pure L5 Use Cases

OneNav’s technology will dramatically improve location-based services that are used every day by individuals across the world to pinpoint their location. Common use cases include:

• Rideshare. Today’s mobile positioning technologies often place users on the wrong side of the street, or on the wrong block, making rideshare services very difficult to use. oneNav enables riders to more effectively match up with their drivers in downtown areas and other heavily blocked environments.
• Smartphone Navigation. It is sometimes difficult to establish your exact location, or to determine which way to turn when using a mobile navigation application in a dense urban area. oneNav’s high availability and precise accuracy enables reliable turn-by-turn directions.
• Emergency Calls. First responders need to accurately pinpoint the location of accidents in order to get to the right place quickly. oneNav’s reliable positioning and high accuracy get the right location information to ambulances, fire and police, enhancing public safety.
• Asset Tracking. COVID-19 has increased the need for supply-chain assets to be transported and tracked with precision. oneNav enables accurate position reporting for asset tracking and other IOT applications.

“The mobile device industry — from phones to wearables — has made tremendous progress over the last 20 years,” said Karim Faris, GV general partner. “What’s surprising is that location-based services continue to have a significant margin of error, which can make all the difference when locating a rideshare passenger or pinpointing an emergency situation. With oneNav’s Pure L5 Mobile GNSS receiver, OEMs and application service companies will have the opportunity to provide their customers with state-of-the-art location-based services, driving competitive advantage.”