GPS World

Category: Applications

  • Ericsson HQ gets indoor positioning upgrade

    StepInside and partner Flowscape to help Sweden HQ team easily find available workspace and colleagues

    The Senion StepInside indoor positioning system has been deployed in the 500,000-square-foot Kista (Stockholm) headquarters of telecom company Ericsson.

    Using personal or work-issued smartphones, more than 4,000 employees working throughout 20 floors distributed over four buildings can now use a corporate app to easily find available rooms and spaces to work, the company said.

    The indoor positioning system is designed by Senion’s longtime partner Flowscape. With StepInside integrated into the Flowscape platform, the two companies will help Ericsson employees reduce wasted time searching for people, places or things, increasing productivity.

    The StepInside software development kit (SDK) offers location readings in latitude, longitude and floor level in real time. The SDK can easily be integrated into any smartphone application. StepInside relies on an advanced sensor fusion algorithm that works with the smartphone’s movement and radio sensors to provide accurate and robust positioning.

    “Indoor positioning technology is perfect for large offices with multiple floors, offices, and meeting spaces — the bigger and more intricate the better,” said Christian Lundquist, CEO and co-founder of Senion. “We’re seeing that large companies are taking serious measures to combat friction in order to increase both productivity and employee satisfaction. We now aid Ericsson in giving back time to their employees so they can be more efficient in their day-to-day work.”

    The implementation of StepInside at Ericsson is part of the company’s larger global platform designed to enable rapid IoT application development.

    “We looked carefully at the benefits of using IPS [indoor positioning system] in our offices, and determined the system would pay for itself in productivity savings alone,” said Magnus Arlidsson, global head application platform for IoT at Ericsson. “Our initial roll-out focuses on productivity improvements by saving employees time they might waste searching for things, such as conference rooms or places to work.”

    The system as implemented today is the starting point for a bigger roll-out with additional workplace enhancements at Ericsson.

    Senion’s comprehensive IPS services include analytics, wayfinding, geofencing, friend finder and tracking. With more than 300  indoor positioning system installations globally, Senion has worked closely with shopping malls, hospitals, corporate campuses and more to improve workflows. Senion is headquartered in Linkoping, Sweden, and San Francisco.

  • NovAtel technology featured in Baidu Apollo Project

    At the Baidu Create conference in Beijing, Baidu named NovAtel’s partner, AutonomouStuff, as a member of its autonomous driving ecosystem, Project Apollo.

    Project Apollo has been initiated to provide an open, comprehensive and reliable software platform for Baidu’s partners in the automotive and autonomous driving industries. Partners can use the Apollo open software platform together with the reference hardware platform to accelerate development of their customized autonomous vehicle solutions.

    Based on their extensive experience in autonomous system development, AutonomouStuff will provide the “Apollo Kit” to Baidu Apollo partners. The Apollo Kit includes the vehicle — a Lincoln MKZ with by-wire kit installed — and all hardware, software and services required for an Apollo partner to quickly begin developing their autonomous vehicle.

    Accurate and reliable positioning is essential to any autonomous system. NovAtel SPAN GNSS/INS products will provide position, orientation and time as a critical component of the Apollo Kit.

    “NovAtel is proud to support Baidu and Project Apollo with our high-precision SPAN GNSS+INS positioning solutions,” said Allan MacAulay, business development manager for NovAtel’s Safety Critical Systems Group, who was at the event in Beijing. “We were thrilled to be included in the off-the-shelf, ready-to-use 1.0 reference vehicle and hardware and Apollo Kit announcements by Baidu and AutonomouStuff at Baidu Create. Our technology is a key component on various Baidu autonomous and mobile mapping vehicles, demonstrating our extensive, long-standing support for Baidu and capability in the autonomous driving space.”

    “This is a revolutionary movement that will have a major impact on the way developers utilize technology in the future,” said AutonomouStuff CEO Bobby Hambrick. “Apollo is a breakthrough. What used to take decades can now be available in one single day. NovAtel’s reliable GNSS/INS positioning technology is vital to accelerating autonomy development, and as our long-term partner, we are delighted to extend our collaboration to the Apollo Kit. The relationship between Baidu and AutonomouStuff, where NovAtel provides a key technology, is going to change the industry significantly.”

    In early 2015, NovAtel took an important step towards delivering positioning solutions to the automotive and autonomous driving industries for serial production by forming a specialized Safety Critical Systems Group.

    The group comprises highly skilled engineers with backgrounds in functional safety, as well as all aspects of GNSS and Inertial Navigation Systems technology. The Safety Critical Systems Group is focused on creating positioning products that will meet the exceptional performance and safety requirements of autonomous vehicles at the necessary production volumes and the required price point.

     

  • Harxon introduces all-constellation GNSS antenna for surveying and mapping

    Harxon introduces all-constellation GNSS antenna for surveying and mapping

    Harxon has released the all-constellation GNSS antenna GPS1000, receiving GPS L1/L2/L5, BDS B1/B2/B3, GLONASS L1/L2, Galileo E1/E2/E5a/E5b and L-band signals.

    GPS1000 can be used in land survey, marine survey, channel survey, seismic monitoring, bridge survey and agriculture applications, providing consistent performance across the full bandwidth, the company said.

    The antenna has high gain and wide beam width to ensure the signal receiving performance of satellite at the low elevation angle, and the phase center remains constant as the azimuth and elevation angle of the satellites change.

    Placement and installation of the antenna can be completed with ease because the signal reception is unaffected by the rotation of the antenna or satellite elevation. The influence of measurement error can be minimized via the multi-feed design and embedded multipath rejection board.

    The GPS1000 waterproof and dustproof design has reached a standard of IP67, maintaining good performance for long-time outdoor operation.

    Moreover, the advanced low noise amplifier can reduce jamming by high-power out-of-band transmitters. It can be customized for the best solution for customers, Harxon said.

  • L3 system selected by Airbus Helicopters for militaries

    L3 system selected by Airbus Helicopters for militaries

    L3 Technologies’ WESCAM division has received an order from Airbus Helicopters to provide 37 MX-15 electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) imaging systems for installation on multiple fleets of H225M Caracal helicopters.

    The systems will be installed in France before being delivered to two foreign governments for military deployment.

    “This order expands L3’s international business base while creating a new market opportunity for our leading WESCAM products,” said Michael T. Strianese, L3 chairman and chief executive officer.

    “L3 WESCAM is proud to have been chosen to supply its MX-15 systems, as it highlights our role as a trusted global supplier of advanced imaging technologies to the OEM marketplace,” added Mike Greenley, president of L3 WESCAM. “Additionally, it confirms that the highly specialized optics and leading technologies in L3’s systems continue to meet the needs of emerging mission portfolios, ranging from combative military to time-sensitive response and recovery operations.”

    The first delivery of 19 units will support a variety of missions, including search and rescue, aeromedical evacuation and assistance and disaster relief.

    The second delivery will provide a highly detailed, multispectral view of combat search and rescue, naval operations, medical evacuation and military transportation efforts to mission operators.

    L3’s MX-15 can be configured with up to six imaging and laser payloads, each of which shares the highest level of stabilization. It incorporates a GPS receiver and antenna, with options available for a GPS time sync interface and GPS data interface.

    Sensor options include a high-definition (HD) thermal imager, color low-light continuous zoom, daylight step zoom spotter, day/night spotter, laser rangefinder and a laser illuminator. L3’s MX-15 can be found on additional models of Airbus helicopters, including the H125 and UH-72A.

    L3 WESCAM serves all segments of the airborne, land and maritime markets with advanced EO/IR imaging and targeting systems (MX-Series) and modular system solution kits (MatriX).

    MX-Series turrets are operational across 74 countries and on more than 137 different types of platforms, and are supported by more than 14 globally deployed authorized service centers and a team of field service technicians who are available for dispatch 24/7 to anywhere in the world. L3 WESCAM is a unit of L3’s Sensor Systems business segment.

  • Harxon releases rover radio for RTK surveying and GNSS positioning

    Harxon releases rover radio for RTK surveying and GNSS positioning

    Harxon has introduced an advanced, high-speed, Bluetooth-enabled wireless rover radio.

    The HX-DU1603D, designed for GNSS/RTK surveying and precise positioning, will be showcased this September at the Intergeo trade show in Berlin, Germany.

    The HX-DU1603D is a lightweight, ruggedized UHF receiver designed for data communications between 410 MHz and 470 MHz in either 12.5 KHz or 25 KHz channels, which can be widely used in GNSS/RTK surveying and GNSS precise positioning fields.

    It is equipped with a Bluetooth transceiver for wireless communications with external devices. It features a 6800 mAh rechargeable internal battery and configurable transmit power between 0.5W and 2W. Its IP67 waterproof capability allows long operating hours outdoors, the company said.

    The HX-DU1603D rover radio is easy to operate and use. It is equipped with a 1.9-inch display screen that supports frequency, protocols, power display, serial port baud rate and air baud rate. By deploying these technologies, users can instantly communicate with GNSS precise positioning receivers with the same protocols throughout the world.

    The rover radio HX-DU1603D has joint Harxon product lines, including 25W base radio HX-DU8602T with simplex and 35W base radio HX-DU8608D with duplex.

  • Chevy Bolt drops in-car navigation in favor of BYOD

    Chevy Bolt drops in-car navigation in favor of BYOD

    2017 Chevrolet Bolt.

    “Connect your compatible smartphone to the center display to access select apps, your calendar and playlists or navigate with Google Maps.”

    That’s the description of the navigation offering on the official Chevrolet Bolt website. One of General Motor’s (GM) most advanced vehicles, the electric Bolt doesn’t offer native GPS navigation as an option.

    As H. Kesteloo of Electrek blogs, almost all new vehicles for sale in the United States either come with GPS navigation or offer it as an option. GM is betting that Bolt drivers will prefer their smartphones over built-in GPS systems.

    Is it a risk? Probably not, considering that apps such as Waze, Google Maps or Apple Maps are more frequently updated, offer real-time traffic information and are often easier to use than factory-installed systems. Plus, the apps are free (with a data plan, of course) compared to a feature that once cost as much as $2,000 on a new car.

    Instead, Chevrolet is offering Android Auto and Apple’s CarPlay, which seamlessly integrate the Apple and Google built-in maps apps — all of which assumes the driver has a smartphone charged, ready and in range of a wirelss connection.

    “Will this be the beginning of a new trend?” Kesteloo asks. “Are we going to see more vehicles without integrated GPS navigation offerings? Perhaps offering a built-in $300 iPad Mini makes sense — the Bolt already has its own wireless internet connection.

    “With a future of self-driving cars quickly approaching, native GPS will still be a critical component,” he notes.

  • Renesas launches open autonomy platform

    Renesas launches open autonomy platform

    Renesas Electronics, an automotive semiconductor supplier, is offering an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) and automated driving platform: Renesas autonomy.

    As the first rollout under the new platform, Renesas released the R-Car V3M high-performance image recognition system-on-chip (SoC), optimized primarily for use in smart camera applications, as well as surround view systems or even lidars.

    The R-Car V3M SoC complies with the ISO26262 functional safety standard, delivers low-power hardware acceleration for vision processing and is equipped with a built-in image signal processor, freeing up board space and reducing system manufacturers’ costs.

    The R-Car V3M SoC for smart camera applications is on the Renesas autonomy platform.

    Autonomous vehicles will be required to sense the environment, control the vehicle and conduct synchronized communications with the cloud. A wide range of technologies is necessary to realize these functions, and each technology needs to maintain high reliability to synchronize without any flaw.

    At the same time, these technologies are continuously advancing, which is why there is a growing demand for a total end-to-end solution.

    Renesas autonomy delivers a comprehensive portfolio that includes scalable hardware, software and IP building blocks. It consists of Renesas’ sustainable and scalable SoC and micro-controller (MCU) roadmaps.

    The platform also gives system manufacturers access to Renesas’ 195 technology partners in its ADAS R-Car Consortium, improving development efficiency and speeding time to market.

    For the implementation of demanding algorithms, the Renesas autonomy platform provides system manufacturers the option to select the most suitable IP cores, including hardware accelerators, offering functional safety and flexibility within an architecture capable of the highest performance at the lowest power consumption.

  • VADER + Atlas help troubleshoot on the job

    Hemisphere’s Atlas-enabled Platinum VADER smart antenna.

    Plantium, in Santa Fe, Argentina, is a full-service provider of precision agricultural guidance systems to some of Argentina’s largest farming operations.

    The company makes its own guidance and control devices, installs them and offers farmers real-time, remote support if required. Plantium uses the Atlas GNSS Global Correction Service as the primary means of providing precise, real-time location corrections to its customers, and their receivers are based on Atlas-ready OEM boards from Hemisphere GNSS.

    “We design, manufacture and sell precision agriculture systems,” said Federico Baulies, robotics engineer for Platinum. “As a part of our SBOX7 + DirectDrive + VADER system, Atlas really helps with all of these. Atlas tools give us the ability to diagnose and solve problems in real-time — probably its best feature.”

    “As soon as we hear of an issue, from operators or from alarms built into our monitors, we can collect several working variables — such as interference and satellite noise — immediately, from our offices, and diagnose many problems instantly,” Baulies explained.

    Argentine farmers benefit from remote problem-solving with the Hemisphere Atlas-enabled Platinum VADER smart antenna.

    “That means we do not have to wait for 30 minutes to see if our client will get convergence — we know right away. A lot of that capacity is built right into the Hemisphere OEM boards or from the way the Atlas service is designed.

    “These diagnostic tools also help on the customer’s end,” Baulies said. “The Atlas service and Hemisphere’s OEM boards make clear user interfaces possible, and end users are rarely confused about the state of their equipment.”

    Once a problem is diagnosed, Plantium engineers can implement fixes quickly, using cellular connectivity.

    “We can often diagnose and fix a problem remotely, sometimes in the same phone call,” Baulies said.

  • Trimble Penmap for Android designed for field surveying

    Trimble has introduced Penmap for Android, a cloud-connected application for field surveying and high-accuracy geographic information system (GIS) data collection that works on mobile handhelds, smartphones and tablets.

    Trimble Penmap for Android focuses on core survey and mapping tasks such as cadastral and boundary surveys, as well as establishing local control, stake-outs, quality checks and asset management for utilities. It provides both professional surveyors and field workers with an intuitive, easy-to-use map-based interface to manage features and attributes for high-accuracy GIS and complete survey documentation.

    The application is also ideal for use in the energy distribution industry for locating infrastructure and recording critical information on encroachments, clearways and existing monuments, the company said.

    The application runs on a variety of Android devices, including the rugged Trimble TDC100 handheld, and supports full-featured Trimble GNSS receivers such as the Trimble R10, R8s and R2 receivers.

    Trimble Penmap for Android is optimized to integrate with the new Trimble Catalyst service, a software-defined GNSS receiver that connects to the small, inexpensive plug-and-play DA1 antenna, and allows surveyors to choose an accuracy level from meter to centimeters to suit their application needs.

    Together, Penmap and Trimble Catalyst — both purchased through a fixed monthly subscription — offer an on-demand, lightweight and low-cost professional surveying system that provides value, convenience and flexibility, the company added.

    “The addition of Penmap expands our portfolio to address the needs of organizations that require a value-packed, flexible survey system,” said Matt Delano, general manager of Trimble’s Land Administration solutions. “Surveyors using the Penmap application with Trimble Catalyst can easily manage seasonal shifts in survey activity by scaling up or down without a capital investment. Survey managers will find it an efficient way to carry out field checks without tying up expensive equipment used by their field crews. They can simply use a phone, the Penmap application, a Catalyst subscription and the DA1 antenna.”

    Trimble Penmap for Android includes the Penmap Project Manager, which is used to set up projects, create templates and add team members.

    Penmap Project Manager works with the Trimble Connect platform for storing and transferring data between the field and office.

    Trimble Connect, which is also included in the Penmap subscription, is a collaborative cloud-based platform that enables organizations to set up and deploy projects to their field users. Information collected in the field is synced back to the office in real-time where it is stored, managed and communicated to team members.

    Data can also be exported from Penmap Project Manager into back-office systems in a variety of file formats for viewing and sharing.

  • Mobile technology to boost pedestrian safety trialed in Australia

    Australian tech firm Cohda Wireless has trialed its vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) technology on city streets for the first time.

    The technology was originally designed to allow cars and motorcycles to avoid collisions by talking to each other.

    In collaboration with Telstra and the South Australian Government, Cohda Wireless has conducted the first test of V2P technology over a mobile network in South Australia’s capital, Adelaide.

    The system uses mobile technology to provide an early-collision warning to a driver and also alerts a pedestrian or cyclist via a smartphone application.

    This innovation could become available in the 16 million smartphones in use in Australia and could potentially be extended to the two billion smartphones worldwide, the company said.

    Cohda Wireless CEO Paul Gray said the trials highlighted the impact of vehicle-to-everything communications on community safety.

    “Giving vehicles 360-degree situational awareness and sharing real-time driving information is the only way we can create safer roads for the future,” Gray said. “Cohda’s ongoing partnership with Telstra also demonstrates Cohda’s ability to deliver Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) solutions, an important part of the complete V2X system.”

    The technology makes use of available 4G networks to allow riders, drivers and pedestrians who are further away to reliably receive necessary information.

    Before a driver turns a blind corner the system will notify them of any pedestrian or cyclist crossing the adjacent street.

    It was tested using other common scenarios, such as a car and a cyclist approaching a blind corner, a car reversing out of a driveway, and a car approaching a pedestrian crossing.

    The trial was funded in part by the South Australian government’s AU$10 million Future Mobility Lab Fund to boost local testing, research and development of connected and autonomous vehicle technologies.

    Cohda commands about 60 percent of the global vehicle-to-vehicle communication market.

    It previously developed a “digital protective shield” system, which transmitted information such as vehicle types, speed, position and direction of travel between cars and motorcycles, at a rate of up to 10 times per second to ensure a high level of accuracy.

    This service could be transmitted to any device within a several hundred-metre radius.

    Telstra Chief Technology Officer Håkan Eriksson said the technology would make Australian roads safer, more efficient, and better-prepared for the future of autonomous vehicles.

    “The most important outcome of V2X technology is the increased safety for road users, as the impact of human error can be minimized by helping vehicles communicate with each other and react to their surroundings,” he said. “This is the first time V2P technology has been trialled in Australia on a 4G network, and is an important step on the journey to fully-autonomous vehicles on Australian roads.”

    South Australia has a history of involvement with autonomous car research and in 2015 held the first driverless car trials in the Southern Hemisphere.

    It hosts a number of leading autonomous car companies including Cohda Wireless and its innovative V2X (Vehicle to everything) technology and RDM Group, which opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Adelaide earlier this year.

    South Australia is also a leading driverless car research hub and earlier this week the University of Adelaide managed to improve artificial vision systems by studying dragonflies and other insects.

  • Rohde & Schwarz offers test system for A-BeiDou LBS

    Rohde & Schwarz and MediaTek have successfully completed the verification of location-based services (LBS) in the U-plane and C-plane for Assisted Beidou (A-BeiDou), China’s GNSS satellite positioning system.

    The R&S TS-LBS test solution allows mobile manufacturers, chipset manufacturers, test houses and network operators to verify chipsets and mobile devices in order to obtain permission to operate them in a particular network.

    The successful A-BeiDou verification of the MediaTek device under test (DUT) using the Rohde & Schwarz test system marks an important milestone in the GNSS evolution of positioning and navigation. According to Rohde & Schwarz, this was the first time that the setup could be used to validate and verify a device for A-BeiDou location-based services.

    The R&S TS LBS from Rohde & Schwarz is a test system for testing GNSS and network-based LBS. It consists of an R&S CMW500 as the base station simulator and an R&S SMBV100A GNSS simulator. The R&S CMW500 provides assistance data to the DUT and the R&S SMBV100A simulates the BeiDou satellites. The R&S TS-LBS test system can be used to obtain GCF and PTCRB certification as well as network operator-specific certification for chipsets and mobile devices.

    “We are delighted to collaborate with MediaTek and to contribute our test and measurement expertise to the development of A-BeiDou location based services,” said Alexander Pabst, vice president of Systems and Projects within the Rohde & Schwarz Test & Measurement Division. “Rohde & Schwarz already has a strong global footprint with testing solutions for A-GNSS, such as A-GPS or A-GLONASS, and for OTDOA/eCID. Thanks to our close cooperation with our partners, Rohde & Schwarz is committed to accompanying the evolution from existing to new satellite systems such as A-BeiDou with our innovative test and measurement solutions.”

    “MediaTek is committed to developing and testing the latest mobile technologies and standards to drive the industry forward,” said TL Lee, general manager of the Wireless Communications Business Unit at MediaTek. “We have worked closely with Rohde & Schwarz to develop and validate the test solution for A-BeiDou LBS, verifying the A-BeiDou proof-of-concept trial system based on the R&S TS-LBS and MediaTek DUT. This represents an exciting step forward in the evolution of LBS technology, enabling the mobile ecosystem to verify chipsets and mobile devices on the new LBS technology.”

  • Australia funds ‘trusted autonomous systems’ for defense

    The government of Australia has launched the first $50 million Defence Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), announced July 6 by the minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP.

    The Defence CRC is a collaborative program that brings together academia, publicly funded research agencies and industry (particularly small to medium enterprises) to create an interlocking research and innovation capability focused on driving a Defence outcome.

    The first Defence CRC will focus on Trusted Autonomous Systems to deliver game-changing unmanned platforms that ensure reliable and effective cooperation between people and machines during dynamic military operations.

    “Existing autonomous and robotic systems that operate in the manufacturing and mining sector are effective in controlled environments, but not suitable for the uncertain situations in which Defence operates,” Pyne said.

    “To be effective, Defence needs autonomous systems to be highly trusted, robust and resilient and this initiative will bring together the best researchers from industry and universities to develop the intelligent military platforms of the future.”

    The CRC for Trusted Autonomous Systems will receive annual funding of $8 million with a maximum of $50 million over a seven-year period.

    The CRC will be chaired by Jim McDowell, a businessman who has had an extensive career in the defence industry, and most recently at the University of South Australia.

    “As Chair, Mr. McDowell will be responsible for leading the development of the research program and business plan and work with industry on transitioning the research results into capability outcomes,” Pyne said.

    This is the first of several CRCs that the Australian government is announcing. Further CRCs will be established on projects also aligned with priorities in the country’s Next Generation Technologies Fund.

    Defence will be a member of each CRC along with universities, research agencies and industry. Participating members will be selected on the basis of their research excellence and technology expertise.

    “The CRC environment offers excellent synergies for Defence, industry and universities to collaborate closely on Defence innovation,” Pyne said.

    The CRC is an initiative of the Next Generation Technologies Fund which complements the Defence Innovation Hub as the two core initiatives of the new Defence Innovation System outlined in the Government’s Defence Industry Policy Statement. These two signature innovation research and development programs, together with the Centre for Defence Industry Capability, deliver on the Government‘s $1.6 billion commitment to grow Australia’s defence industry and innovation sector.

    For more information, visit www.business.gov.au/cdic.