GPS World

Category: Mobile

  • Microsemi’s TimeProvider 4100 provides for 4G and 5G base stations

    Microsemi Corporation has launched the TimeProvider 4100, a flexible IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) grandmaster clock designed to scale from the edge to the aggregation layers of both mobile infrastructure and access networks.

    The TimeProvider 4100 is a gateway clock, a new class of synchronization product which accepts multiple inputs from GNSS, Synchronous Ethernet (SyncE), 1588 PTP and E1/T1 digital transmission links, and distributes timing flows to multiple endpoints such as base stations.

    It supports the GNSS constellations GPS, Beidou, GLONASS and Galileo.

    Mobile and future markets

    Primarily targeting the mobile market, operators and data centers for mobile operator environments, over time the TimeProvider 4100’s platform will also serve mobile network needs associated with machine-to-machine (M2M), internet of things (IoT) and autonomous vehicle applications.

    A gateway clock benefits from multiple layers of protection leveraging other assets in the core of the network. TimeProvider 4100 is a best-in-class 1588 grandmaster complemented by extensive port fan-out for PTP, Network Time Protocol (NTP), SyncE and legacy building integrated timing supplies (BITS), the company said.

    With multiple ports for current, legacy and future networks which can be connected to multiple base stations for 4G and 5G deployments, the device offers customers a cost-effective solution that can be adapted for a wide variety of use cases.

    Mobile operators face tough requirements to drastically increase mobile bandwidth while efficiently leveraging the available spectrum. Cellular networks using only frequency synchronization waste significant spectrum, whereas newer deployments require phase synchronization for efficient spectrum usage and interference mitigation in increasingly densified networks.

    Phase synchronization

    Phase synchronization is imperative for next-generation service deployment. To that end, operators need timing solutions capable of supporting legacy infrastructure and evolving network needs. Microsemi’s TimeProvider 4100 is engineered to provide phase to today’s 4G, LTE and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) deployments, as well as tomorrow’s cRAN evolutions and 5G networks.

    The device’s platform can be expanded through an internal module, providing customer savings such as power and rack space, and enables great scalability through sub-tenancy mechanisms. TimeProvider 4100 also features port fan-out which can be flexibly used for PTP, NTP, E1/T1, 1 pulse per second (PPS), time of day (ToD) and 10 megahertz (MHz) at the aggregation layer.

    “With our ongoing commitment to delivering system products, Microsemi has demonstrated our leadership in the IEEE 1588 grandmaster market with more than 400 operator deployments worldwide,” said Eric Colard, director of product line management for Microsemi. “We are pleased to leverage this expertise to deliver the TimeProvider 4100. With eight Ethernet ports and four BITS E1/T1 ports in the base unit, TimeProvider 4100 provides a very feature-rich gateway clock device.”

    Microsemi’s TimeProvider family serves the mobile infrastructure market, which is expected by market research firm IHS Markit to be approximately $48 billion in 2018, with hardware expected to account for approximately 62 percent of the market.

    The TimeProvider family is designed to capitalize on growth opportunities related to 5G installations, beginning with trial installations in 2018, growing to a market size of $2.8 billion by 2021 according to the firm’s “Mobile Infrastructure Intelligence Service – 3Q17 Market Tracker.”

    The new device’s flexibility does not compromise its performance and feature set, and meets stringent precise timing requirements, including complying with primary reference time clock (PRTC) and the latest time and phase ITU-T and IEEE industry standards.

    Available upgrades include oscillator options for enhanced holdover performance and an internal expansion module which adds 16 E1/T1 BITS ports to the device. The TimeProvider 4100 also accepts PTP input with assisted partial timing support (APTS) to back up the GNSS signal in case of signal loss for high resiliency of the solution by leveraging 1588v2 grandmasters already deployed at the core of the network.

    Timing and synchronization platform

    TimeProvider 4100 can be managed through Microsemi’s timing and synchronization management platform, TimePictra. In addition, for phase, service providers require more visibility about performance and health of the various network elements participating in the synchronization chain. TimeProvider provides advanced monitoring capabilities, especially for IEEE 1588v2 PTP for phase, and leverages a WebGUI to present results and calculations for easier interpretation.

    In addition to its TimeProvider family, Microsemi also offers highly comprehensive and cost-effective IEEE 1588 and SyncE network synchronization silicon solutions providing time stamping, ultralow jitter (for up to 100G PHYs), IEEE 1588 protocol support (including the ITU-T telecom profile for frequency and phase) and one of the industry’s most established client servos used by numerous carriers worldwide.

    The solutions offered are used by all major equipment vendors across the globe in a variety of wireless and wireline applications and work seamlessly with Microsemi’s full range of TimeProvider equipment.

  • Target your in-store shopping list

    Target is installing app-based indoor mapping in its stores, making it easier for customers to find what they’re looking for.

    Following a 2015 test, the U.S. retail chain is integrating beacon and Bluetooth technology with its mobile app. The app will show the shopper’s location in real time as they move about the store (with a familiar blue dot), and display nearby sales and deals.

    Shoppers will also be able to find an item on the map through their digital shopping list.

    Target describes the new technology as “a GPS for your shopping cart.”

    “Just click on an item from your list and the app will indicate on a store map the precise aisle where you can find your item,” said Target chief information and digital officer Mike McNamara.

    The beacons are a function of new, energy-efficient LED lighting that Target is installing in its stores.

    Another mobile enhancement is Target’s integration of its savings app Cartwheel within its main store app. (Cartwheel is more popular than the primary Target app.) Target will use the beacon technology to highlight which of its Cartwheel deals are near a shopper’s current location. In the months to come, the app will support mobile payments at checkout.

    The new indoor location technology will be live in across half of the chain of 1,800 stores in time for the 2017 holiday season.

  • Telit, Husqvarna roboticize for park sustainability

    Mower-maker Husqvarna has installed a wireless sensor device co-developed by Telit and Wireless System Integration (WSI) in its city robotic mower pilot program. Cities are using the Husqvarna mowers to collect data about the environment, the quality of air, water, and levels of light and sound, while maintaining the cities’ green spaces, saving time and money, reducing emission and noise pollution.

    A Husqvarna robotic mower patrols a lawn along Prince’s Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. Equipped with a GPS-enabled Telit module, it gathers real-time sensor data on the city’s green space environmental conditions.

    In parks in seven cities — Edinburgh and London in the United Kingdom, Gothenburg and Stockholm in Sweden, Almere and Leeuwarden in the Netherlands and San Francisco in the United States — mowers autonomously cut the grass daily and collect real-time data on UV radiation, air quality, ambient noise, luminosity and vibration.

    The sensor box, designed by Telit, is mounted on top of the mower, uses the robot’s main battery for power supply, and recharges whenever the robot returns to its base. The sensor box transmits the data using Telit’s HE910-G cellular module which includes a GPS L1 receiver with reported 3-meter accuracy to acquire mower position.

    Telit HE910 cellular module has GPS option.

    Geofencing is enabled for the mower as well as location-based alarms to disable it should it be moved without authorization. To ensure public safety, sensors detect any nearby objects, including people and animals, causing machines to turn away.

    Telit’s global Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity data plans and platform seamlessly connect, manage and deliver the environmental data in a ready-to-use format.

    Environmental Gains. One of the biggest roadblocks to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals is the lack of data. Cities need better environmental data to improve health and create cities people want to live in. The project measures the environmental gains and potential time savings of mowing public lawns with robotic mowers. The test will measure the reduction of noise pollution as well as direct emissions when replacing petrol-powered products with battery driven robotics.

    In cooperation with Husqvarna, Quantified Planet, an organization that links innovation to science, receives the data and publishes it for citizens to review. The cities can then analyze the environmental data sent by the robots and implement programs to improve the health of its citizens, based on these insights.

    “This new data can provide insights and innovation on how to develop and improve sustainable open green spaces which impact the citizens living nearby,” said Maja Brisvall, CEO, Quantified Planet.

    “The need for green spaces is growing more and more in urban areas. The pilot program affords the possibility to increase sustainability and productivity in professional landscaping for urban areas,” said Pavel Hajman, president of the Husqvarna division.

    “Cities are using IoT to become more sustainable and efficient,” added Yosi Fait, Interim CEO, Telit. “Through this collaboration we have been demonstrating again our sensor-to-cloud capabilities, cutting our customers’ time to market through our integrated lines of products and services as well through our professional services team’s significant IoT knowhow.”

  • PNT Roundup: Columbus discovers — and implements — smart city solutions

    Visitors to the Smart Columbus Experience Center will learn how Vehicle to Everything (V2X) Technology allows cars to communicate with each other as well as with intelligent traffic infrastructure to keep mobility safe and efficient. (Image: NXP USA)
    Image: NXP USA

    Columbus, Ohio, has positioned itself smartly for an autonomous future, taking a lead role in pilot projects on infrastructure and autonomous air and road transport.

    The city will draw on up to $40 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, $10 million from Vulcan, Inc,. and $500 million in local private pledges.

    Carla Bailo, assistant vice president for mobility research and business development at Ohio State University (OSU), presented the city’s ambitious program at ION GNSS+.

    In “Position, Navigation and Timing — An Enabling Technology for Mobility and Smart Cities,” she focused on a triple-zero target: zero accidents and fatalities, zero carbon footprint and zero stress.

    Smart Columbus will put six autonomous shuttle buses in the commercial district, coordinate truck platooning, time deliveries and manage parking to reduce congestion, and undertake drone delivery of medical supplies and other critical needs. Multimodal transit apps, mobility assistance for those with disabilities and pedestrian collision avoidance will be based on real-time data on transit options and availability, as well as traffic information, road and weather conditions.

    Position, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies play a central role in smart cities: vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, autonomous navigation and collision avoidance, location-based services and smart, resilient infrastructure.

    Smart Columbus envisions the city as a center for high-tech transportation research and innovation. OSU’s partnerships with mobility companies and vehicle manufacturers, industry groups and government agencies contribute to the city’s comprehensive approach to the smart city project. Through its expertise in sensors, communication, PNT, transportation, autonomous and connected vehicles, and geospatial science and engineering, OSU will serve as the lead researcher on Smart Columbus.

    Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska, OSU professor and frequent contributor to GPS World, in her new role as associate dean for research at OSU’s College of Engineering will be a key participant in research projects on ways to integrate self-driving cars, deliver high-definition 3D maps and metadata, use sensors to better connect vehicles for safety and efficiency, and find better ways to move people around the city when they don’t have access to a car.

  • PNT Roundup: Telecoms cite GNSS vulnerabilities

    In a technical report titled GPS Vulnerability released Sept. 15, the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Standards (ATIS) renewed its call for an eLoran system to support telecom and other critical infrastructure in the United States.

    As part of its “Recommendations to Assure Time for Telecom” the report says:

    “An eLoran system (or equivalent) should be developed and implemented in the U.S. to provide a near-term alternative to GPS for the telecom system and other critical infrastructure. The physical and cyber security of eLoran transmission stations should be a consideration in their operation.”

    ATIS termed its report “a major resource to help better understand and address a formidable telecommunications industry challenge: the vulnerabilities in the Global Positioning System (GPS).”

    Requirements for precise time delivery have driven the industry toward the increased use of GPS and GPS-dependent technologies, it says. Yet this dependency has left the industry vulnerable to disruptions and manipulations of the GPS signal.

    GPS Vulnerability (ATIS-0900005) provides insight into the sources of the most common problems with GPS and their impacts. The report also covers several mature proposed solutions that would satisfy telecommunications sector timing requirements.

    “GPS disruptions have economic, financial and service impacts to carrier network operators, suppliers, cellular services as well as adjacent industries and government agencies that depend on a functioning wireless communications sector,” said ATIS President and CEO Susan Miller. “We believe that our report on this topic will contribute to solutions to help secure the delivery of time — a function critical to many sectors in our economy.”

    Known vulnerabilities to deliver GPS time to a system include environmental phenomena, malicious interference and spoofing, incidental interference, adjacent band interference, poor antenna installations and rare but present GPS segment errors.

    GPS Vulnerability discusses techniques to address these vulnerabilities as well as alternatives to GPS timing, with the goal of mitigating GPS vulnerabilities for the timing receivers used in the critical infrastructure.

    Alternatives covered in the report include Navigational Message Authentication on modernized GPS civil signals, atomic clock time holdover, sync over fiber, eLoran, WWVB, terrestrial beacons and more.

    Putin shows taste for spoofing

    For several days in June, more than 20 ships reported problems with GPS reception in the Black Sea (see Expert Opinion column, August GPS World). Experts concluded the problems were probably the result of a spoofing attack in the area.

    Norwegian journalist Henrik Lied of NRKbeta compared this with accounts of similar episodes near the Kremlin complex in Moscow, where tourists have reported their smartphones showing them at an airport outside the city.

    Lied interviewed University of Texas professor Todd Humphreys about his theory that this is an effort to keep drones from flying in the area: “Several of us [researchers in GNSS] have concluded the Kremlin spoofing was likely trying to trigger UAV geo-fencing, which prevents UAVs from flying near airports,” Humphreys said.

    A Moscow correspondent for the Norwegian Broadcasting Company reports that these GPS problems only tend to occur when President Vladimir Putin is in town.

    Several of the ships spoofed in the Black Sea were sailing in the vicinity of the Russian premier’s Black Sea vacation home. Putin was actually in the area when the incidents occurred. This may indicate that Russian authorities are spoofing wherever the Russian president is located.

    Humphreys said, “It’s long been assumed that Russia, China and other nations (including the U.S.) have the technology to carry out a spoofing attack. What’s surprising is Russia’s willingness to use it openly and somewhat indiscriminately. It does fit nicely into what has been called Russian disinformation technology.”

  • Broadcom launches dual-frequency GNSS receiver for mass market

    Broadcom launches dual-frequency GNSS receiver for mass market

    Broadcom Limited is offering a mass-market, dual-frequency GNSS receiver device, the BCM47755, designed to enhance location-based services (LBS) applications for mobile phones, tablets and fitness wearables.

    Equipped with the latest GNSS innovations, the device is capable of centimeter-level accuracy with minimal power consumption and footprint, enabling an entirely new suite of high-precision LBS applications including lane-level vehicle navigation and mobile augmented reality.

    Until now, mobile location based applications have been powered by single-frequency GNSS receivers operating under stringent battery-power and footprint constraints.

    The expanded availability of L1/E1 and L5/E5 frequencies in satellite constellations enables the use of two frequencies to compute position much more accurately in both urban and open area environments.

    BCM47755 uses two different frequency signals from each satellite. (Image courtesy of Broadcom)

    The BCM47755 delivers this higher level of location accuracy while meeting the rigorous battery power and footprint needs in mobile phones.

    The BCM47755’s accuracy allows location-based applications to offer a richer consumer experience. For example, lane-level knowledge of the vehicle’s location vastly improves the turn-by-turn navigation performance.

    Further, combining this accurate location with the lane’s traffic pattern gives consumers a significantly better estimate of arrival times. In the same vein, ride-sharing applications can be enhanced to more precisely pinpoint driver and client location.

    The BCM47755 consumes less than half the power of previous generation GNSS chips. Since GNSS and sensor applications are always on, this power efficiency has a proportional impact on the battery life of the mobile device. So, even while benefiting from a richer navigation experience, consumers will have a longer lasting battery on mobile devices that use the BCM47755.

    Product Highlights

    • Advanced dual-frequency GNSS receiver capable of processing satellite signals in both L1/E1 and L5/E5 frequency bands providing higher level of location accuracy
    • Incorporates new low power GNSS radio and dual-core ARM CM4-CM0 sensor hub
    • More than 50 percent lower power consumption compared to previous generation GNSS receiver
    • Delivers high-quality raw GNSS measurements for both code and carrier phase, enabling advanced location-based applications.

    “With the launch of the dual-frequency GNSS sensor hub, Broadcom continues the tradition of raising the bar for mobile GNSS,” said Vijay Nagarajan, senior director of product marketing of the Mobile Connectivity Products Division at Broadcom. “Location-based consumer applications can be disruptively enhanced with centimeter-level accuracy. On the other hand, lower power consumption and smaller footprint continue to be defining requirements for any mobile phone chip. The BCM47755 achieves these twin objectives for a richer consumer experience.”

  • New LTE tracker platform connects and locates objects

    New LTE tracker platform connects and locates objects

    LTE chipmaker Sequans Communications S.A. and semiconductor company STMicroelectronics have introduced CLOE, an LTE-connected tracker platform based on the integration of Sequans and ST technologies.

    An acronym of Connecting and Locating Objects Everywhere, CLOE combines the Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies of two industry manufacturers into one comprehensive platform that simplifies the development of LTE-based IoT tracker devices for the full range of vertical markets, including logistics, consumer electronics and automotive.

    Specifically designed and optimized for OEMs and ODMs to add IoT tracking capability to their product offerings, CLOE integrates Sequans’ Monarch LTE Cat M1/NB1 chip and ST’s Teseo III GNSS chip for communications and satellite-based tracking performance.

    “CLOE targets multiple vertical markets with best-in-class performance for all of the important tracking measures: battery life, location accuracy, reachability, mobility and reporting periodicity,” said Antonio Radaelli, infotainment BU director at STMicroelectronics. “’Componentizing’ ST’s navigation technology and Sequans’ LTE modem technology makes CLOE an ideal platform to build trackers of all types — anything a developer can think of.”

    “The tight integration of ST’s latest-generation Teseo chip with our Monarch LTE chip results in a power-optimized, cost-effective, all-in-one solution to speed new IoT tracker devices to market in a very short time,” said Danny Kedar, vice president of Sequans’ IoT business unit. “CLOE delivers ultra reliable LTE connectivity with ultra-low-power consumption, and high performance GNSS and accelerometer performance, including lowest time to first fix.”

    CLOE Key Features

    • Turnkey cellular tracker solution for OEMs and ODMs, anywhere in the world
    • Chipset integrates PMU, LTE, GNSS, memories and MCU
    • First-to-market, operator-certified
    • LTE Cat M1/NB1 dual-category
    • Covers all worldwide LTE bands with a single hardware design
    • High GNSS accuracy and short time to first fix
    • Support for autonomous or server-based Assisted GPS (AGPS) for optimal time to fix
    • Designed to address multiple track & trace segments, including
      • Logistics
      • Consumer electronics
      • Automotive
    • Optimized for low power consumption and cost
    • Modular design includes GNSS, cellular connectivity, MEMS; can be expanded to include other sensors, Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi.

    CLOE is designed and optimized for production based on a full bill of materials (BOM) that includes LTE, GNSS, accelerometer, power supply, battery management, LED and button management. The modular design enables copy/paste and optimizes BOM cost. CLOE is easily customizable.

  • Antenova introduces low-profile Robusta GNSS antenna

    Antenova Ltd. has launched the Robusta GNSS antenna for tracking applications and smart cities. The Robusta is a very low-profile antenna in a new patent design for metal surfaces.

    Antenova, manufacturer of antennas and RF antenna modules for M2M and the Internet of Things, launched the Robusta (part no. SR4G031) at the GSMA Mobile World Congress Americas show, held Sept. 12-14 in San Francisco.

    The antenna operates in the 1559-1609 MHz bands and is designed for tracking metal objects and smart city applications.

    The Reflector family is designed to answer to the challenge of operating on a metal surface or housing, where it is extremely difficult for an antenna to operate. The Reflector antennas use a patented new technology with two layers. The first layer is electrically isolated from the second layer to provide RF shielding to the second layer. This allows the antenna to radiate effectively in the direction pointing away from the base material.

    The Robusta antenna has two key features for discreet tracking. It is extremely low profile so it can be mounted onto a metal object such as a bicycle frame or concealed under a label. Being able to operate directly on a metal surface, it can be used on bicycles, motorcycles, vehicles, containers or other property that needs to be tracked and located accurately.

    The Robusta antenna is also a good choice for smart lighting and smart meters in smart city applications, where it can be fixed to metal fittings.

    The antenna is manufactured from rigid FR4 material and measures 23 x 16 x 1.7 millimeters high, and comes with 100-millimeter or 150-millimeter cable and IPEX MHF connector and an adhesive pad for easy integration into a device.

    Antenova provides resources on its website to help with integration.

  • Microsemi publishes application note on NTP Reflector

    Microsemi publishes application note on NTP Reflector

    Microsemi has published a new application note on its Security Hardened SyncServer NTP Reflector.

    The NTP (Network Time Protocol) Reflector is a fast, accurate NTP server. It features denial of service resilience, monitoring and notification functions.

    Characteristics include 100 percent hardware NTP time-stamping for accuracy and high performance; NTP packet monitoring for DoS detection; bandwidth limiting and packet filtering for CPU protection; and alarming if NTP loading is above expected levels.

    To help users better understand the advantages of Microsemi’s NTP Reflector and packet limiting/monitoring technology, the company explains the underlying technology and its security benefits in the new application note, available for download.

    Key Characteristics

    • 100 percent hardware NTP timestamping for accuracy and high performance
    • NTP Packet monitoring for DoS detection
    • Bandwidth limiting and packet filtering for CPU protection
    • Alarming if NTP loading is above expected levels.

    The NTP Reflector is one of the many differentiating features of Microsemi’s new SyncServer S600 series network time servers.

    The reflector is a real-time, hardware-based NTP packet identification and time-stamping engine uniquely designed to protect the SyncServer CPU from excessive network traffic denial of service  attacks and notify the operator if NTP traffic is above expected levels.

    The innovative technology enables extremely high-bandwidth, high-accuracy, high-reliability and security-hardened NTP operations.

  • Taoglas launches RF filter division for IoT, mobile apps

    Taoglas is launching a new RF Filter division specifically developed for Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile applications.

    Taoglas, a provider of IoT and M2M antenna products, made the announcement at at Mobile World Congress Americas this week.

    Taoglas aims to provide high-quality, small-form-factor, cost-effective and easy-to-implement RF filters.

    The new filter division will feature a range of off-the-shelf filters for a variety of applications, including filters for emerging license-free bands used for IoT, L1/L2 and L1/L5 GNSS applications.

    Taoglas can also work with customers to develop custom filter solutions.

    “Today’s mobile and IoT applications require high-performance RF filters, in a form factor and cost that makes sense for our customers,” said Dermot O’Shea, co-CEO at Taoglas. “We’ve seen the frustrations our own engineers have had in quickly sourcing reliable components for active antenna and electronic designs. Taoglas is eliminating that frustration with its own filter division, applying the same principles for success that we’ve demonstrated with our antenna business.”

    The filters are manufactured in Taoglas’ purpose-built production facilities in Taiwan, and shipped immediately anywhere worldwide. Support is available from any Taoglas location globally. Filters are available through regular Taoglas sales and distribution channels.

  • Taoglas launches ultra-wideband antennas for indoor positioning

    Taoglas launches ultra-wideband antennas for indoor positioning

    Taoglas has launched a range of small-form-factor ultra-wideband (UWB) antennas specifically designed to enable centimeter-level positioning and angle-of-arrival applications.

    The FXUWB10, UWC.01 and UWCCP.01 ultra-wideband antennas by Taoglas.

    Applications include asset tracking, follow-me drones, healthcare monitoring, smart home services and other applications that demand high-performance indoor localization capabilities, the company said.

    The antennas offer high efficiencies across a wide spectrum of frequency bands, from 3 GHz to 10 GHz.

    Indoor wireless positioning has long been hampered by technologies that were not designed for this purpose, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and assisted GPS.

    Taoglas will be exhibiting in Booth 614 at Mobile World Congress Americas, Sept. 12-14, in San Francisco.

    Ultra-Wideband. UWB is a low-power digital wireless technology that offers significant increases in location precision and range while transmitting large amounts of digital data short distances over a wide spectrum of frequency bands. UWB’s low-power requirements offer increased battery life of sensors and tags, leading to reduction in overall operational costs.

    Taoglas’ range of UWB antennas, designed in Taoglas’ Munich, Germany, engineering center, features both state-of-the-art flexible embedded UWB antennas and UWB embedded SMT chip antennas. According to the company, the flexible FXUWB range of antennas were developed utilizing a “peel and stick” assembly process, attaching securely to non-metal surfaces via 3M adhesive with a flexible micro-coaxial cable mounting.

    The UWB chip antennas are designed to be surface mounted directly onto a printed circuit board (PCB). Both series of antennas help designers future-proof devices, keeping costs low while covering all common UWB commercial bands.

    “Today’s emerging applications require very precise indoor localization of assets, objects and people,” said Ronan Quinlan, co-CEO for Taoglas. “UWB can work as a type of ‘indoor GPS’ to help solve the precision dilemma for indoor applications, bringing much greater levels of precision than current technologies. We optimize complex antenna performance parameters such as the Group Delay, Polarization and Fidelity Factor. Taoglas’ first-to-market line of UWB antennas are designed to help our customers capitalize on this need for real-time precision localization.”

    Autonomous Antenna. One antenna that Taoglas co-developed exclusively with DecaWave is the UWCCP.01 circularly polarized chip antenna, a mass-market antenna specifically designed to enable a new generation of autonomous applications.

    The DecaWave DW1000 chip.

    The UWB antennas were designed for use with the DecaWave DW1000 chip and are also compatible with any other UWB sensor modules on the market, the company added. Since its launch in December 2013, more than 3.5 million units of the DW1000 have shipped across multiple industries.

    From real-time location of people and assets in factories, hospitals and mines, to automotive keyless entry systems, to drones, connected home and sports, the accurate location and secure communications capability of the DW1000 has already taken numerous applications to new heights.

    “Antennas play a key role in our customers’ applications. Performance is a given for customers but the capability to adapt to the constraints of the applications — size, shape, electronics environment — is equally important as end products get smaller and smaller,” said Ciaran Connell, CEO and co-founder, DecaWave. “DecaWave is really pleased to partner with Taoglas, as their expertise is not only in delivering high-performance, off-the-shelf antennas, but also to provide customization services that will be highly beneficial to our customers.”

  • Tallysman antenna selected by Facebook Open Cellular Platform

    Facebook has selected Tallysman’s TW2643POC GPS/Iridium antenna for the Facebook Open Cellular Platform.

    Facebook’s Open Cellular group is developing a cost-effective, software-defined, wireless-access platform to improve connectivity in remote areas of the world, the company said.

    The TW2643POC employs Tallysman’s Accutenna technology in a magnet mount, passive right-hand circularly polarized antenna for the reception of all of the GNSS constellations (GPS L1/GLONASS G1/ Galileo E1/ BeiDou B1) plus Iridum: 1559 to 1626.5 MHz frequency band.

    According to Tallysman, it is certified and specially designed to maximize the performance of Iridium Voice and Data Modems plus the upper GNSS band (1559–1606 MHz).

    The TW2643POC is housed in an IP67 compliant housing and is REACH and RoHS compliant.