By Stephen Mackey, Hadi Wassaf, Karen Van Dyke, Christopher Hegarty, Karl Shallberg, John Flake and Terence Johnson.
OOBE Levels associated with LTE signal power used in testing. Source: Stephen Mackey, Hadi Wassaf, Karen Van Dyke, Christopher Hegarty, Karl Shallberg, John Flake and Terence Johnson.
The Adjacent Band Compatibility Assessment evaluated the adjacent radiofrequency band power levels that can be tolerated by GPS and GNSS receivers, to advance the U.S. Department of Transportation’s understanding of the extent to which such power levels impact devices used for transportation safety purposes, among other applications. The paper describes the testing approach and data analysis used to develop interference tolerance masks (ITMs) based on a 1-dB carrier-to-noise-ratio (CNR) degradation. DOT and other participants tested 80 GPS/GNSS receivers in an anechoic chamber. Four types of testing were conducted which involved a linearity test, 1-MHz Bandpass Noise, 10-MHz Long Term Evolution (LTE), and effects of third order intermodulation.
This paper also presents the resulting ITMs and puts forward a recommendation for the bounding ITM for each GPS/GNSS receiver category. Given a particular use case scenario, the significance of these bounding ITMs is that they provide information that is necessary for the downstream analysis to determine the maximum Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) that can be tolerated in the adjacent radiofrequency bands on a per category basis. The paper discusses acquisition results as they relate to the 1-dB CNR degradation limit, and a cross comparison for some of the receiver results between radiated and conducted tests incorporating the appropriate antenna characterization data.
Esterline CMC Electronics showcased advanced displays and CMC Electronics-brand integrated helicopter avionics at the Hai Heli-Expo, held Feb. 26-March 1 in Las Vegas.
Esterline’s new helicopter demonstrator featured the CMA-6024 GNSS landing system. While introduced last fall, the CMA-6024 has been customized for rotorcraft operations to allow operators to achieve precision approaches to CAT II and CAT III minimums at helipads.
The CMA-6024 GNSS module for aircraft.
The CMA-6024 GPS sensor that delivers a high-reliability satellite-based augmentation system and ground-based augmentation system (SBAS/GBAS) CAT-l/ll/lll precision approach solution for all aircraft.
“Our CMA-6024 is the result of over 35 years of experience in the design and manufacture of certified airborne GPS products for the air transport, business aviation and helicopter markets,” said Jim Palmer, vice president, Navigation Solutions. “It is a collaborative effort with NovAtel Inc. and its patented Narrow Correlator signal tracking technology.”
The CMA-6024 aviation GPS/SBAS/GBAS sensor, featuring an embedded VHF Data Broadcast (VDB) receiver, is a complete, self-contained, fully certified precision approach and navigation solution, certified to Design Assurance Level A (DAL-A). Designed as an easy-to-integrate solution for all aircraft, the plug-and-play tandalone unit requires no specialized installation or integration support.
The CMA-6024 provides a navigation solution that is fully compliant with Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). The CMA-6024 includes SBAS Localizer Performance/Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LP/LPV) and GBAS GNSS Landing System (GLS) GAST-C/D Precision Approach guidance for all aircraft. The CMA-6024 meets or exceeds the most stringent environmental requirements set out in RTCA/DO-160G and goes further to meet additional requirements for specific aircraft.
Built on the successes of the CMA-5024, the CMA-6024 is the next evolutionary step forward that adds a complete GBAS/GLS solution. All CMA-5024 receivers can be upgraded to a CMA-6024. All of the benefits of the CMA-5024 are retained and a new self-contained GBAS/GLS functionality has been added to produce the CMA-6024.
CMC’s family of GPS products includes the CMA-5024 GPS Landing System Sensor that meets the requirements for an Instrument Flight Rules, civil certified Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), a component of SBAS, augments GPS to provide an extremely accurate navigation solution that will support all flight operations from en route through Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) CAT-l equivalent approach. The CMA-5024 is compliant with and completely supports EGNOS/SBAS, from departure, en-route navigation, and all EGNOS/SBAS LPV Precision Approaches, and complies with published Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) navigational mandates.
CMC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Esterline Corporation, a specialized aerospace and defense company headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, that employs over 13,000 people worldwide.
All across Europe, the number of smart cities is multiplying. To tackle their growing needs and to guarantee efficient city planning and maintenance, many cities are engaged in massive investments in such key areas as street lighting, road maintenance, traffic and waste management.
In parallel, public transportation is continuously evolving in terms of coverage, comfort and technology.
Within this context, the exploitation of Galileo and its integration with other sensors is key to developing concrete solutions for current and future smart-city planning. Along these lines, the Horizon 2020-funded GHOST (Galileo Enhancement as Booster of the Smart Cities) project is designing, developing and validating an intelligent system for vehicles that equips existing public transport fleets with a Galileo-enabled camera and connects these vehicles to a web portal.
The GHOST system equips existing public transport fleets with a Galileo-enabled camera and connects these vehicles to a web portal. (Photo: GSA)
The system automatically takes pictures of predefined points of interest (POI) based on the accurate position of the vehicle — provided by Galileo. All images are sent to a processing server capable of detecting such anomalies as potholes or a burnt-out street light. The system then uses the web portal to report these findings to the relevant authorities.
“At this point, GHOST is designed primarily for reporting street lighting anomalies and road deteriorations, monitoring public garbage collection and detecting double parking infractions or disabled parking spots occupied by unauthorized vehicles,” said Project Coordinator Claudia Maltoni. “In addition to these basic functions, we have also identified more advanced services, such as spotting bus-lane and congestion-charging-area violations, which will be implemented at a later date.”
A user-focused system
The GHOST system’s key differentiator is its use of Galileo positioning, which gives it the capability to take autonomous snapshots with an error range of 1 to 10 meters (depending on the size of the POI). In densely populated urban environments, such a level of service is only possible with the combined use of Galileo, inertial sensors and Kalman filters.
The GHOST system’s key services:
reporting street lighting anomalies and road deteriorations
monitoring public garbage collection levels
detecting double parking infractions or disabled parking spaces occupied by unauthorized vehicles
monitoring timely collection of garbage.
Another unique feature is a free smartphone application that citizens can use to collect geo-localized snapshots. “Whenever an individual user sees an anomaly within a city’s infrastructure, all they have to do is snap a picture with their smartphone,” explained Maltoni. “This level of engagement not only enhances the overall system, but also empowers individual users to play a key role in urban upkeep.”
Improving urban efficiency
By taking advantage of the many vehicle movements happening in cities every day, GHOST proposes a competitive way to improve the efficiency of monitoring a city’s operations and infrastructure. Once finalized, the system will enable faster detection of double parking or road deterioration and help reduce traffic, accidents and pollution.
“Thanks to our field tests and favourable lab results, we are already setting up the next phase of the project, with the aim of taking the system’s technology to the next level,” concluded Maltoni. “This includes providing real-time, onboard image processing so that the system can handle such dynamic scenarios as bus-lane infractions and congestion-charging enforcement.”
The project is working to bring GHOST technology to market. Coordinators are busy making key contacts with interested public administrations, garbage collection companies and traffic police departments. It is also working to ensure that the system complies with all European regulatory standards, such as those related to circulation or privacy.
Written for professional users of GPS systems and data
GNSS Survey & Engineering: Handbook for Surveyors and Survey Engineers, by Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk, provides the professional GPS user with enough background to understand and correct the operation of satellite navigation equipment in general, and GPS in particular. The book is based on lectures the author has written for the Geomares Education Skilltrade course in hydrographic surveying as well as a series of articles on satellite navigation systems. ISBN/EAN: 978-90-825818-2-9, 236 pages.
Future-proof system tracks currentand planned constellations
Topcon MR-2 GNSS receiver.
The MR-2 modular GNSS receiver system combines all current and planned constellation tracking with a comprehensive set of communication interfaces to service any precision application requiring high-performance real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning and heading determination. It can perform as a mobile RTK base station, marine navigation receiver, mobile mapping device and as a GNSS receiver for agricultural, industrial, military or construction applications. Using Topcon HD2 heading determination technology, the MR-2’s dual antennas compute high-performance heading and inclination determination alongside the RTK positioning engine for precise navigation and guidance applications. Communication interfaces include Ethernet, serial and CAN. It can operate without disturbances in high-vibration environments.
The Optech Galaxy T1000 reduces operating costs and improves performance
Terrain mapper
Designed to reduce operating cost,improve performance
The ALTM Galaxy T1000 combines a 1000-kHz effective ground measurement rate with Optech’s SwathTRAK technology to create a compact, efficient and versatile lidar sensor. A doubling of the laser pulse repetition frequency and an increase to its variable-terrain capability with SwathTRAK technology reduces the number of flightlines by up to 70 percent over traditional fixed field of view (FOV) sensors. SwathTRAK leverages the Galaxy’s programmable scanner by dynamically adjusting the scan FOV in real time during data acquisition, enabling constant-width data swaths and constant point density even in highly variable terrain and far fewer flightlines to collect and process.
The TomTom VIA GPS devices are available in three models: VIA 1425, VIA 1525 and VIA 1625 — 4-inch, 5-inch and 6-inch touchscreens, respectively. They offer an enhanced address search that helps drivers define destinations from the search menu or by touching a point on the map. TomTom VIA devices also offer Advanced Lane Guidance, helping drivers prepare for exits and intersections by clearly highlighting the correct driving lane for a planned route. Drivers also have the ability to update maps for the device’s lifetime at no extra charge with Lifetime Maps.
The Kahu connected car solution is designed for auto dealers, providing streamlined lot management while delivering a new finance and insurance (F&I) profit center by offering consumers a modern location tracking and stolen vehicle recovery service. Kahu provides accurate vehicle data for proactive maintenance reminders that can improve vehicle health and keep vehicles within warranty. Kahu includes an aftermarket GPS device and mobile apps for both dealers and their customers.
vPinPoint is a 3D “black box” technology for vehicles using a dashboard camera. In July 2016, Roke fitted the tech to an autonomous Toyota Prius and demonstrated how data captured via vision processing technology could be used to provide a precise 3D reconstruction following a road incident. The tech is expected to offer insurers, drivers and, in the case of autonomous vehicles, manufacturers independent evidence of what happened, leading to safer vehicles and helping build public trust in driverless vehicles. Unlike current dashcams, the technology uses computer vision algorithms to enable the precise position and orientation of any vehicle — car, bike, lorry or autonomous vehicle. This allows for near-perfect 3D reconstruction of any accident to be created even if the vehicle loses complete control.
Research and education platform offers Linux autopilot on Raspberry Pi
The Navio2 platform is being used in universities and research institutions worldwide. It has a u-blox M8N GLONASS/GPS/Beidou chip and two inertial measurement units (IMU): the InvenSense MPU9250 and an STMicroelectronics LSM9DS1 — both offering nine degrees of freedom. Other features include a barometer, servo control and a friendly programming environment. Open-source drivers and detailed tutorials are available in C++ and Python. All experimental data can be processed directly on Raspberry Pi, a tiny computer designed to teach programming. Navio2 runs Ardupilot flight stack and can operate in different flight modes including manual, stabilize, follow-me and auto.
Early identification and troubleshooting of crop issues
SenseFly’s eBee SQ long-range agricultural drone can now come paired with Agribotix’s FarmLens agricultural data-processing cloud-processing platform to make collecting and analyzing aerial data easier. The eBee SQ is built around Parrot’s Sequoia sensor, which features multispectral sensors that capture calibrated data across four distinct spectral bands and imagery in a single flight. The FarmLens Professional subscription bundled with the eBee SQ gives users the ability to perform the full crop-scouting workflow while working in the field. Users can fly large areas efficiently, capture ground-truthing images, make notes and share detailed information about trouble spots via the Agribotix Digital Scouting Report.
Several jamming incidents in 2016 highlight the increasing reliance on GNSS by commercial aviation and vulnerabilities of PNT-dependent devices and systems to real-world GNSS threats.
Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) and other warnings to pilots and crews reported GPS signal jamming near major international airports. Aircraft approaching or flying over these airports were advised to avoid using RNAV technology to plan their approach or landing, due to the presence of GPS signal jamming.
The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database contains records of pilot-reported incidents, which rose from 11 in 2013 to 28 in 2015, and they continued to grow in 2016.
There is also increasing pressure on the GPS spectrum, from Ligado plans to deploy wireless systems in the U.S. that transmit on adjacent frequencies, to Europe’s new Radio Equipment Directive with a GNSS Adjacent Band Compatibility test. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently found that high-precision GPS receivers were more likely to be affected by adjacent-band noise.
Large international airports lie near busy roads and parking lots and are more likely to encounter small in-vehicle personal privacy device jammers used by employees to disrupt tracking systems. These devices are capable of disrupting Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches that rely on GPS.
It is obviously important to test the effects of such interferers on safety-critical devices and systems so that their performance can be evaluated. There are strong guidelines and standards that apply to GNSS receivers designed for use by commercial aviation. This means that it is very rare for onboard GNSS receivers to output hazardously misleading information to other flight-deck control and management systems. But jamming does obviously affect aviation equipment by rendering it inoperative.
Monitoring the RF signal environment around an airport to understand where interference is occurring, and potentially what’s causing it, has become vital. This can be done using one or more interference detectors, and can produce extremely enlightening results. Information on the frequency of events and jammer types can also be collected and used to better protect systems installed at the airport.
The aviation industry has been deliberately cautious in adopting GPS technology, and is well educated about the specific vulnerabilities of GPS. But GPS interference is now widespread, and as the industry is becoming more dependent on GNSS, safety measures should be featured in every airport’s and every airline’s risk assessment framework.
The collection and analysis of statistics quantifying frequency and type of interference in GNSS bands should be an essential part of any mitigation strategy where GNSS is used to provide position or precise timing data critical for business to operate.
A number of systems and products are available to help businesses mitigate against threats to satellite positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems. Test instruments including GPS interference detection systems, real-world threat scenarios, and a range of professional services can all help to evaluate the risks and impacts of relevant threats.
For example, in Spirent’s Robust PNT Framework, once risks and threats have been evaluated, algorithms and/or hardware modifications to receivers and/or antennas can be devised. Once implemented, the effectiveness of these mitigation measures can be evaluated using the same Framework, which can generate simulation scenarios using captured interference waveforms.
This use of real-world interference waveforms in a realistic simulator-generated scenario can provide a great deal of information on likely effects of interference on GNSS systems and devices. Further, airports can implement operational measures to mitigate interference.
While the onus seems to fall on receiver manufacturers to mitigate against interference, they can only offer part of the solution. The remainder is institutional. A robust approach to identifying and dealing with threats must be mandated.
Even with robust receivers and a concerted effort to reduce threats, some will persist. Hence, a backup strategy must continue to be explored and funded at an appropriate level.
GUY BUESNEL is market segment manager, GNSS vulnerabilities, and PAUL CRAMPTON is senior systems engineer, both at Spirent Federal Systems.
SAP SE demonstrated new technology to make life easier for drivers and rental car users through an Internet of Things (IoT) collaboration with Concur Technologies, Hertz and Nokia.
The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress, being held Feb. 27–March 2 in Barcelona, Spain.
Also, Mojio — a connected vehicle platform and app provider for Deutsche Telekom and T-Mobile USA — has joined SAP Vehicles Network and will provide parking and fueling through its app in the United States and Europe.
A part of the SAP Leonardo portfolio, the SAP Vehicles Network solution creates an intelligent, automated experience — from car rental to parking and fueling location and payment, to integrated navigation and expense management for business travelers.
SAP Vehicles Network, built on SAP Cloud Platform, enables participating network companies to provide mobility services to drivers and passengers. By standardizing the business processes, SAP Vehicles Network enables integration and collaboration to facilitate new revenue streams and business opportunities for network members.
Through the network, member companies can offer secure, convenient services — independent of devices or vehicles — such as parking, fueling and location-based food services, tailored for the business traveler or the individual consumer.
The new collaboration showcased at Mobile World Congress draws on the strengths of each participating vendor:
Concur, Hertz, SAP and other members of the Nokia-founded IoT Community, a worldwide ecosystem of companies collaborating on the development of innovative IoT solutions, drove the development of the connected rental car experience.
Nokia provided its Intelligent Management Platform for All Connected Things (IMPACT) to securely control and manage devices and sensors in the vehicle, including the personalization of driver settings and entertainment systems, as well as the automatic configuration of in-vehicle communications without Bluetooth paring, which ensures data privacy for drivers. The Nokia IMPACT IoT Platform works in conjunction with payment systems in SAP Vehicles Network for parking and fueling authorization to create a seamless and driver-optimized experience.
Hertz, one of the world’s leading rental car companies, is developing new products and services for its next 100 years of meeting customers’ needs. By exploring the use of connected-car technology in collaboration with leading technology and travel players such as SAP, Nokia and Concur, Hertz is evaluating the opportunity to integrate travel and itinerary planning, along with in-car personalization, through its customer apps as part of an elevated car-rental experience.
https://youtu.be/CmMoPUgEXS8
With the connected car prototype, business travelers can automate route guidance through Concur TripLink integration with other Concur solutions in addition to accessing seamless trip reporting capabilities for all travel-related expenses, including parking and fueling transactions. All in-trip payment transactions can be reported in Concur Expense in real time and be ready for the traveler to submit by the time the trip is complete.
Mojio’s cloud integration with SAP Vehicles Network takes the guesswork out of parking, enabling drivers to plan and reserve a parking spot based on calendar events or search, as well as to find and pay for a spot in real time based on the connected vehicle’s location. A “tap” inside Mojio’s app toggles between personal and business, allowing for automated expense reporting to Concur solutions. Together, Mojio and SAP plan to bring automated parking and fueling services to a growing base of connected drivers around the world.
SAP Vehicles Network makes any car smart and transactional by providing drivers with cashless access to on- and off-street parking and connected fueling stations. It minimizes unnecessary drive time and fuel expenditures and helps reduce traffic and emissions caused by drivers searching for open spaces.
“With leading partners like Hertz and Nokia and new customers like Mojio, SAP is delivering new levels of value for businesses and end consumers based on SAP Cloud Platform, SAP Leonardo and tight integration with Concur solutions,” said Tanja Rueckert, executive vice president, IoT and Digital Supply Chain, SAP. “SAP Vehicles Network puts the end consumer in the driver’s seat by transforming the vehicle into the ultimate digital wallet and making car rental into a seamless, intelligent experience.”
For more information on SAP Vehicles Network, including videos, see here. For video on collaboration with Hertz, see here, and Mojio, see here.
CalAmp, a provider of wireless products, services and solutions, is offering two new high-end telematics devices designed for connected vehicle applications anywhere in the world.
The new devices address growing global market demand in Europe and Latin America for more connected vehicle technology options and enable a broad range of applications such as fleet management, usage-based insurance, crash notification, stolen vehicle recovery, vehicle finance and auto rental.
New products include:
LMU-2640 – Designed for sophisticated fleet management applications, the LMU-2640 incorporates the flexibility of GSM/GPRS wireless communication along with highly sensitive GPS, a powerful processing engine and a triple-axis accelerometer that detects and communicates driver behavior. The LMU-2640 supports CalAmp’s Instant Crash Notification (ICN) services suite, delivered via email, SMS (text) or through an Application Programming Interface (API).
LMU-200 – Ideal for track-and-trace applications, the LMU-200 provides reliable, economical connectivity through GPRS wireless communication. The LMU-200 features highly sensitive GPS, motion detection, remote starter disable and built-in antennas that lower overall deployment cost and simplify installation. Built on CalAmp’s scalable hardware and device management platform suite, each product employs the company’s PEG on-board alert engine and processing environment as well as PULS over-the-air device management and maintenance application. These pioneering systems allow customers to leverage one platform to manage their entire portfolio including remote firmware updates regardless of the vehicle type or use case.
“The introduction of these two new devices represents our ongoing, strategic investment in solutions that enable the connected vehicle ecosystem in key markets such as Europe and Latin America,” said Justin Schmid, senior vice president and general manager of the Telematics Systems business at CalAmp. “With CalAmp as a leading IoT enablement solutions provider with new technology and a growing product portfolio, customers in these regions now have more options to choose from whether they’re looking for a simple vehicle tracking option or a full solution to support complex mixed fleet applications.”
CalAmp’s newest products are on display at booth #8.1B71 (Hall 8.1/Upper Level) at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, Feb. 27–March 2.
Panasonic Business introduced its connected airport concept at Mobile World Congress, which is taking place this week in Barcelona, Spain, and is showcasing a suite of intelligent technology solutions for the first time in Europe.
Panasonic LinkRay. Photo: Panasonic
High-tech airports
A key technology on display is LinkRay, a one-to-one customer engagement tool for public spaces. With LinkRay, dozens of people can simultaneously get native language information from display panels and LED lighting to their smartphone, so that display panels in an airport can contain links to transport information in multiple languages.
Also on display is HD Beacon technology, which can assist localized mapping and wayfinding within the terminal buildings at an airport. So, for instance, airport staff or people with limited mobility could use their mobile device to find the nearest electric cart to get them quickly to their gate.
At MWC, Panasonic is displaying at the 120m2 booth (Hall 6, Booth H31) with technology for retail, car rental, communications, security, logistics and ground handling.
Car rentals
In the car rental area of the booth, Ficosa, who has had a business alliance with Panasonic since 2015, will introduce the latest technologies in connected cars. These solutions will transform the in-vehicle experience, providing innovative vehicle services, enabling more autonomous driving with higher levels of safety and efficiency.
Within the airport logistics hub area, Panasonic’s Parcel Picking Director uses barcode technology to project key parcel information onto parcels themselves, making it viewable by workers at a distance.
Panasonic Media Track allows organizations to track and optimize the deployment of mobile assets such as baggage containers, trolleys and wagons, perfect for ground handling operations. While Intelligent Warehouse Software (iWS) use CCTV cameras and software to find lost parcels or luggage in minutes rather than hours spent manually searching through security footage.
“We know that our connected, intelligent technology solutions are well matched for the transportation market,” said Tony O’Brien, managing director of Panasonic System Solutions in Europe. “Our research tells us that improving the passenger journey through better connectivity and information sharing is an important driver in this space and Mobile World Congress gives us the opportunity to showcase what Panasonic can do to innovate within transportation.”
Qualcomm Technologies Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, is working with TomTom on using the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform for high-definition (HD) map crowdsourcing for autonomous driving.
Qualcomm Drive Data Platform collects and analyzes data from different vehicle sensors, supporting smarter vehicles to determine their location, monitor and learn driving patterns, perceive their surroundings, and share this perception with the rest of the world reliably and accurately.
TomTom’s HD Map, including RoadDNA, is a highly accurate, digital map-based product that assists automated vehicles to precisely locate themselves on the road and help determine which way to maneuver, even when traveling at high speeds.
Traditional development of maps requires deploying dedicated fleets of vehicles equipped with professional-grade sensors to collect location, raw imagery, lidar and other data, which is then transferred, stored and processed in data centers. Now that cars are increasingly connected and equipped with a range of sensors, new and complimentary approaches become possible.
Using the precise positioning, on-device machine learning, heterogeneous compute and connectivity capabilities of the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform, which features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820Am automotive processor, TomTom and Qualcomm Technologies aim to facilitate adding an improved, scalable and cost-efficient crowdsourcing approach to the mix of sources for HD mapmaking.
The new concept is designed to allow massive numbers of connected cars to see and understand their environment, traffic and road conditions, and support real-time input for map and road condition updates.
“Feature-rich, highly accurate and frequently updated HD maps are critical to support some of the most advanced applications envisioned in the automotive industry, especially for autonomous driving,” said Willem Strijbosch, head of autonomous driving, TomTom. “We are building the cloud-based platform to make and maintain HD maps using a range of input sources, including crowdsourced data from swarms of intelligent connected vehicles. We’re excited to explore the connectivity and compute capabilities of the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform to help map the world for the future of driving.”
“Qualcomm Technologies is demonstrating today that an affordable and easy-to-integrate mapping solution for autonomous vehicles is realizable,” said Nakul Duggal, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Qualcomm Drive Data Platform is designed to integrate key technologies into a cost-effective edge compute solution required to support safer, highly connected and smarter transportation, and we are pleased to offer this technology for HD Map providers such as TomTom as well as automakers, shared mobility service providers and automotive industry at large.”
For more information about the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform, visit the Qualcomm booth at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Feb. 27–March 2, Hall 3, Stand 3E10, or go to www.qualcomm.com/automotive.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released an updated list of pilot, air traffic controller, law enforcement and citizen reports of potential encounters with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The latest data cover February through September 2016.
Reports of possible drone sightings to FAA air traffic facilities continued to increase during FY 2016. There were 1,274 such reports from February through September last year, compared with 874 for the same period in 2015.
Although the data contain several reports of pilots claiming drone strikes on their aircraft, to date the FAA has not verified any collision between a civil aircraft and a civil drone. Every investigation has found the reported collisions were either birds, impact with other items such as wires and posts, or structural failure not related to colliding with an unmanned aircraft.
Safely integrating unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system is one of the FAA’s top priorities, and the agency wants to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.
The FAA wants operators to know where it’s legal to fly their drones. For current information on where unmanned aircraft can be flown safely, the FAA offers the B4UFLY app, available for iOS and Android smartphones. The app is free and can be downloaded from iTunes and Google Play.
The GPS Insight Hours of Service solution has a feature set designed to streamline fleet management. Photo: GPS Insight
GPS Insight, a technology provider of GPS vehicle and asset tracking solutions for commercial and government fleets, launched a new electronic logging device (ELD) solution on Feb. 1.
The GPS Insight Hours of Service solution has a feature set designed to streamline fleet management and ensure Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) compliance.
Hours of Service bundles an Android tablet hardwired to a GPS tracking device. The ruggedized ELD tablet features an intuitive user interface to ensure ease of use for all drivers. The management portal is web-based, secure and accessible via PC, tablet and smartphone.
In addition to the functionality required by the FMCSA, GPS Insight offers key ELD features that, together, create a powerful fleet management solution:
Messaging: Drivers and dispatch can now message each other between the tablet and the web-based interface. This capability will reduce the number of phone calls made and streamline communication with individual drivers or the entire fleet.
Navigation: Navigation is built into the ELD tablet. Management can dispatch audible and visual directions for each job to drivers using designated truck-specific routes.
GPS Tracking: The ELD solution combines e-logs with the GPS monitoring, alerting and reporting solution.
The GPS Insight Hours of Service Solution offers a simple alternative to paper logs and provides many benefits beyond compliance. Although it is an easy-to-use interface, GPS Insight understands this new mandate is a paradigm shift for the industry and is offering its customers hands-on training, augmented by on-demand training videos, to make the transition from paper logs to e-logs as seamless as possible.
“Implementing the GPS Insight ELD solution was really easy,” said Richard R., GPS Insight customer and owner of Rivers Transport Services. “We just hit the road running. The training videos for the drivers made it that much easier for them. It takes the headache of paper logs away.”
The GPSdome anti-jammer was developed for civilian applications. It aims to curb situations in which civilian vehicles are stuck “off the grid.” It combats electromagnetic warfare by using null steering, a method of spatial signal processing through which a transmitter can nullify communication jamming. In particular, the product was developed to address the requirements of autonomous cars, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, all of which depend heavily on GPS to function. Several carmakers have expressed interest in integrating the anti-jammer in their autonomous cars, including Daimler-Mercedes, Ford, Toyota, Hondand BMW and others.
The Aaronia GPS Logger is a six-parameter datalogger designed for recording the position and orientation of RF antennas (such as the Aaronia HyperLOG X, HyperLOG EMI and Magnotracker series) during field investigations. It also is useful for a wide range of non-RF applications where position and movement logging is required. It has sensors in a very small form factor, with a fast data-capture rate of up to 35 logs/second. The logger with built-in battery is 4 x 1.7 x 0.9 inches and weighs 3 oz. The logger starts up in about 30 seconds and features a 66-channel GPS sensor with built-in antenna, offering a position accuracy of six feet, maximum velocity measurements of up to 350 mph and altitude up to 60,000 feet, with a signal sensitivity of –165 dBm. The logger can be used to create an RF heat map including frequency, direction and strength of an RF source with a 360-degree view. All sensor data can be captured at up to 35 readings per second on to a microSD card or via USB streaming. The real-time indication of data makes the Aaronia GPS logger useful for instantly assessing position-variable information.
For consumer GPS processing and smartphone indoor positioning
Photo: Focal Point Positioning
S-GPS is a smartphone-based sensor fusion, machine learning and signal processing suite designed to provide satellite positioning capabilities in urban environments and indoors. With its multipath-mitigation process, S-GPS improves the performance of existing radio-based positioning systems. The fully software-defined solution is aimed at system-on-chip silicon architecture and smartphone receiver front ends. A software upgrade for existing receivers, it requires no extra hardware, dongles or infrastructure to operate. The computational load of S-GPS is comparable to that of existing GNSS processing. The higher sensitivity of S-GPS allows signal tracking to be maintained in traditionally difficult environments, such as deep indoors, where standard devices would fail. This reduces the time spent in acquisition mode in urban areas, leading to significant improvements in battery life in like-for-like tests with standard A-GPS technologies.
The u-blox LARA-R3121 is a single-mode LTE Category 1 modem and a GNSS positioning engine. It is designed for Internet of Thigns (IoT) applications including smart utility metering, connected health and patient monitoring, smart buildings, security and video surveillance, smart payment and point-of-sale systems, as well as wearable devices, such as action cameras. It comes in a land grid array (LGA) package for easy manufacturing, and offers easy migration from u‑blox LTE, UMTS, CDMA and GSM/GPRS modules.
NTS units can detect difference between real and spoofed signals
Photo: OnTime Networks
OnTime Networks has added advanced anti-spoofing technology to its Blueberry and Cloudberry CM-1600 network time server (NTS) product lines. OnTime Networks’ proprietary anti-spoofing algorithms and technology provide not only an alert that GPS is been spoofed, but also the protection that the GPS timing signal is moved over to a highly stable free-running clock, as long as the detected GPS spoofing attack is in progress. Power grids are particularly vulnerable to spoofing, and are increasingly implementing GPS technology to more accurately meter allocations of electricity across the grid. Being even 10 microseconds off could cause power generators to shut down or get damaged.
The GNSS tracking engine of the K708 OEM board with 496 channels is capable of tracking all working and future constellations. Compared with the K5 series OEM boards, the K708 uses an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip that improves data quality and reduces power consumption. It is designed with strong compatibility and built-in functions, including high-accuracy position, velocity and time (PVT) output, long baseline RTK and reserved webserver service. The K708 is designed for CORS, deformation monitoring systems and related high-accuracy GNSS positioning applications. Signals received include GPS L1 C/A, L2C, L2P, L5; BeiDou B1/B2/B3; GLONASS L1C/A, L1P, L2C/A, L2P; Galileo; and QZSS.
Monitor, manage and evaluate monitoring data, optionally trigger alarms
Photo: Topcon Positioning
The Delta Solutions deformation monitoring system uses several software and hardware components — Delta Link, Delta Log, Delta Watch, Delta Sat and the Topcon MS AXII total station — to provide accurate and reliable monitoring measurements and associated reporting for asset protection. Delta Watch delivers accurate and reliable data in a variety of reporting formats to fit a project’s needs. Data from the total station, GNSS receivers, leveling devices and sensors can be processed and analyzed individually or as a network-adjusted solution. Delta Watch’s optional Delta Sat GNSS processing module allows for stand-alone GNSS monitoring or combined GNSS and total-station network adjustments. Delta Link provides hardware support communication for autonomous operation in the field, managing each power source to maximize system availability, while Delta Log provides an intuitive interface to manage observations, target types and measurement scheduling.
GPS data collector for utilities, mining, forestry, agriculture
Photo: Geneq
The SXPad 1000P is an affordable, rugged handheld GPS data collector specifically designed for mobile GIS users in applications such as water, electric and gas utilities, transportation, mining, agriculture and forestry. The high-performance 1000-MHz device is designed to give professionals the power needed to work with maps and large data sets in the field. It has an IP67 waterproof seal and can survive 5-foot (1.5-meter) drops to concrete. Its 3.7-inch color touchscreen (full VGA) is sharp and is sunlight readable. Standard features include a battery life of more than 10 hours on a charge, 8-GB internal storage, and slots for MicroSD cards and SIM cards as well as Windows Mobile 6.5. The SXPad 1000P also offers a 3.5G cellular modem, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, video capture and a 5-megapixel camera. It is optimized for GPS/GIS field data collection using its 1-to-3-meter accuracy internal GPS receiver or one of Geneq’s high-performance SXBlue GPS receivers for sub-meter and centimeter-level accuracy.
Glean and share insight from big data, internet of things
Esri ArcGIS 10.5 offers next-generation analytics technology by helping organizations glean insight from enterprise data, big data and the Internet of Things (IoT) and share that insight in intuitive ways. It includes improved capabilities for handling large-scale analytics and big data; a drag-and-drop interface that streamlines the creation of spatial analysis through maps, charts and graphs; and collaboration features to connect and analyze information across the enterprise. The new release is powered by Esri ArcGIS Enterprise, a significant evolution of the technology formerly known as ArcGIS for Server. ArcGIS Enterprise has been updated with improved power to process and analyze large, disparate datasets.
Entry-level device for construction, public safety
Photo: Faro
The Faro FocusM 70 is an entry-level laser scanner for construction building information modeling (BIM) and public safety forensics. Features include an IP54 rating for use in high particulate and wet weather, high-dynamic-range imaging, an acquisition speed of almost 500,000 points per second and extended temperature range. Data captured can be used with various third-party software packages. The Faro FocusM 70 is specifically designed for both indoor and outdoor applications that require scanning up to 70 meters and at an accuracy of +/– 3 millimeters.
PingNav ADS-B OUT GNSS navigation unit. Photo: uAvionics
PingNAV is a small, light ADS-B OUT compliant navigation source. ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) helps aircraft operators sense and avoid possible collisions. ADS-B is mandated by the FAA for all aircraft in the U.S. National Airspace by 2020. PingNAV supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and QZSS, and has a battery backup for quicker position initialization. Dual static ports forpressure altimeter readings and integrated security and integrity technologies include receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) and satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) to detect and correct errors improving accuracy, reliability and availability.
The Ping200S is a small, light, FCC-approved full range mode C and mode SAutomatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponder. At 50 grams, power consumption is low enough to be powered by battery pack for 2 hours, yet is powerful enough to provide visibility to other aircraft and UAVs up to 200 miles away, at which point it implements sense and avoid for drone operations in the national airspace. The ping200S is designed to meet the requirements of TSO-C199 as a Class A Traffic Awareness Beacon System.
Defense-proven to disrupt and neutralize hostile UAVS
Photo: Liteye Systems, Tribalco
The AUDS counter-UAS defense systemhas been field proven to detect, track and defeat malicious and errant unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) or drones. The fully integrated system has achieved TRL-9 status following the successful mission deployment of the AUDS system with the U.S. military. TRL-9 is the highest technology readiness level that a technology system can attain. The AUDS system — developed by Blighter Surveillance Systems, Chess Dynamics and Enterprise Control Systems — can detect a drone six miles (10 kilometers) away using electronic scanning radar. It tracks the UAV using precision infrared and daylight cameras and advanced video tracking software before disrupting the flight using a non-kinetic inhibitor to block the radio signals that control it. The detect, track and defeat process typically takes 8–15 seconds. Using AUDS, the operator can effectively take control of a drone and force a safe landing. The AUDS system works in all weather, day or night, and the disruption is flexible, proportional and operator controlled.
For UAV manufacturers to add flight time, extend battery life
Photo: Texas Instruments Sample build.
Two circuit-based subsystem reference designs can help manufacturers add flight time and extend battery life to quadcopters and other non-military consumer and industrial drones used to deliver packages, provide surveillance or communicate and assist at long distances. The 2S1P Battery Management System (BMS) reference design transforms a drone’s battery pack into a smart diagnostic black box recorder that accurately monitors remaining capacity and protects the Li-Ion battery throughout its entire lifetime. Designers can use the drone BMS reference design to add gauging, protection, balancing and charging capabilities to any existing drone design and improve flight time. A second reference design helps manufacturers create drones with longer flight times and smoother performance. It helps electronic speed controllers achieve the highest possible efficiency with performance for speeds more than 12,000 rpm (> 1.2 kHz electrical) including fast-speed reversal capability for more stable roll movement.
The CMA-5024 GPS landing system sensor meets the requirements for an instrument-flight-rules civil-certified GNSS. The European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) augments GPS to provide an extremely accurate navigation solution that will support all flight operations from en route through localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) CAT-l equivalent approach. The CMA-5024 is compliant with and completely supports EGNOS/SBAS, from departure, en-route navigation and all EGNOS/SBAS LPV precision approaches, and complies with published Communication Navigation Surveillance/Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) navigational mandates.
A new variant of Qualcomm’s connected car reference platform uses its gigabit-class Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help car manufacturers deliver high-speed, high-quality and reliable connectivity for advanced telematics and connected vehicle services. It supports peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps. The reference platform allows carmakers to integrate additional wireless and networking technologies, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and GNSS, with optional support for dedicated short-range communication (DSRC) and cellular-V2X. The platform includes a module reference design for the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem to help automotive suppliers accelerate development. The reference platform integrates quad-constellation GNSS and 3D dead-reckoning location solutions, and is designed to manage concurrent operation of multiple wireless technologies using the same spectrum frequencies.
