GPS World

Tag: GNSS receiver

  • Trimble Offers Expanded GNSS Portfolio for Surveyors

    Trimble has introduced additions to its GNSS portfolio — the Trimble NetR9 Geospatial receiver; the Trimble Geo7X with Trimble Access field software onboard; and enhanced Trimble xFill functionality that provides continuous RTK level accuracy when paired with a Trimble CenterPoint RTX subscription. The new additions offer surveyors more flexibility in the field to meet a variety of work requirements.

    The announcement was made today at InterGeo 2014, the world’s largest conference on geodesy, geoinformatics and land management.

    The Trimble NetR9 Geospatial GNSS Receiver. Photo: Trimble
    The Trimble NetR9 Geospatial GNSS Receiver. Photo: Trimble

    Trimble NetR9 Geospatial GNSS Receiver. The Trimble NetR9 Geospatial has been configured as a comprehensive modular GNSS receiver for the professional survey market. The lightweight form factor of the NetR9 comes fully loaded with performance enhancements including: Trimble HD-GNSS technology, Trimble 360 technology, Trimble CenterPoint RTX correction service support and Trimble xFill technology. The combination of these capabilities provide a powerful solution that delivers accurate positioning and support for all existing and currently planned GNSS constellations, and continuous RTK-level precision during interruptions of the primary correction source, Trimble said.

    Serving as either a rover or mobile base station, the NetR9 Geospatial offers the flexibility to choose a GNSS antenna and radio solution that matches the surveyor’s specific workflow needs. “Trimble’s GNSS solutions are designed to meet the unique requirements of surveyors,” said Elmar Lenz, business area director of GNSS Solutions for Trimble’s Geospatial GNSS Division. “These solutions provide professionals in the survey and engineering industry with flexible tools to stay productive and competitive, delivering the appropriate solution for any survey project that’s being completed, no matter where our customers work and survey.”

    Trimble Geo 7X with Trimble Access. Designed for surveyors facing a variety of workflow requirements to accomplish both high-accuracy surveying and handheld point measurement, the Geo7X is now available with Trimble Access field software onboard. With Trimble Access onboard the Geo7X, surveyors benefit from a familiar, easy-to-use software interface that provides common survey workflows directly on their GNSS handheld, resulting in increased data collection efficiency.

    The Geo7X is a dedicated network rover that can be used on a survey rod with an external antenna for survey-grade accuracy. If the surveyor prefers the convenience of a highly mobile handheld solution, they can snap if off the rod and switch to the internal antenna. In this mode, they also have easier access to other features such as the integrated camera for collecting attribute data.

    Trimble xFill in use. Photo: Trimble
    Trimble xFill in use. Photo: Trimble

    Expanded Trimble xFill Functionality. Expanded xFill functionality, available in the Trimble R10 GNSS receiver and NetR9 Geospatial receiver, allows surveyors to continue collecting data with centimeter accuracy indefinitely throughout their workday when the connection to the base station or VRS network is lost. The expanded xFill functionality is enabled via a CenterPoint RTX subscription.

    Without a Trimble CenterPoint RTX subscription, xFill maintains RTK level accuracy for up to five minutes during interruptions in the primary terrestrial correction stream. This basic xFill functionality is included with the Timble R10 GNSS system and is now included with the NetR9 Geospatial GNSS receiver.

    “With expanded accuracy levels and seamless RTK/RTX transition, the Trimble R10 continues to offer unprecedented capability to the survey professional,” said Lenz. “Connectivity problems are traditionally one of the biggest GNSS-related challenges a surveyor will face while in the field and expanded Trimble xFill functionality significantly helps solve that problem, saving time and money.”

  • Singapore Transit to Develop GNSS Road-Pricing System

    The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore is seeking to develop Singapore’s next-generation electronic road-pricing system, based on GNSS technology, reports AsiaOne News.

    LTA has shortlisted three consortia to participate in a tender to develop the system: NCS Pte Ltd & MHI Engine System Asia Pte Ltd, ST Electronics (Info-Comm Systems) Pte Ltd, and Watchdata Technologies Pte Ltd & Beijing Watchdata System Co Ltd.

    The contract to design and develop the system is expected to be awarded in the second half of 2015. The system is to be implemented in 2020.

    Following an 18-month system evaluation test that concluded in December 2012, LTA said that it has found that it is technologically feasible to develop a GNSS-based road-pricing system in Singapore. The system will overcome the constraints of physical gantries, which are costly, difficult to maintain, and take up land space.

    The GNSS-based system will implement distance-based pricing along certain congested roads, where motorists will be charged proportionate to the distance traveled. An interactive and intelligent on-board unit in motorists’ vehicles will support additional services such as real-time traffic information and electronic payment for parking fees.

    LTA is considering new policies for off-peak travelers.

  • Altus Shipping Latest GNSS RTK Receiver

    Altus Positioning's APS-NR2 RTK receiver.
    Altus Positioning’s APS-NR2 RTK receiver.

    Septentrio subsidiary Altus Positioning Systems is now shipping demo units of its latest GNSS RTK receiver, the APS-NR2. The high-performance receiver incorporates GNSS and wireless technology into a sleek and compact design to provide an intelligent network rover with on-board configuration and extended operation time, the company said.

    Based on a low-power and small-footprint OEM GNSS receiver, the APS-NR2 offers robust RTK while consuming less power for longer operation time on battery power.

    For easy configuration and status monitoring, the APS-NR2 features an on-board web interface accessible via Wi-Fi. This makes the APS-NR2 configurable from any device that has a browser and Wi-Fi, and with any operating system. Real-time data is streamed over Bluetooth for a completely cable-free operation.

    A 3.5G Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE + HSPA cellular modem supports reliable RTK network connectivity with an intelligent reconnect feature. In addition to standard Li-Ion battery chargers and USB cable interface, the design includes on-board USB battery recharge. At 1.5 lbs., the APS-NR2 weighs the same as a dozen glazed doughnuts.

    “It all adds up to the world’s most versatile RTK rover that provides more productivity and less downtime in the field,” said Vancans. “The APS-NR2 raises the bar and sets a new standard for the state-of-the-art in high-precision surveying and geolocation, leveraging the power and convenience of mobile tablet platforms.” Units are expected to ship starting October 20.

  • ION GNSS+ 2014: ComNav Technologies, Ltd.

    Andy Yin, ComNav Technology, Ltd., shares on the company’s K series GNSS OEM boards and receivers at the 2014 ION GNSS+ Conference September 9-12 in Tampa, Florida.

  • Unicore Announces BeiDou/GPS+MEMS GNSS Module, High-Precision Heading Board at ION GNSS+

    UM220-INS BDS/GPS+MEMS dual-system inertial navigation module.
    UM220-INS
    BDS/GPS+MEMS dual-system inertial navigation module. Photo: Unicore

    Unicore Communications, Inc., is showcasing two new products at ION GNSS+, being held September 10-12 in Tampa, Florida.

    The UM220-INS is a BeiDou/GPS+MEMS dual-system inertial navigation module for in-dash automotive navigation and high-end navigation. Besides dual-system (BeiDou+GPS) GNSS navigation, the UM220-INS features a built in six-axis MEMS and can output a GNSS+MEMS inertial positioning result, making it suitable for applications requiring high accuracy, high reliability, and high continuity positioning.

    The second product is the UB280, a BeiDou/GPS dual-system dual-antenna high-precision heading board for precise RTK position and heading. According to Unicore, UB280 is based on Unicore’s mature BeiDou compatible multi-system GNSS system-on-chip (SoC), features low-power design and dual-antenna input, can offer millimeter-level carrier phase observation value and centimeter-level RTK positioning accuracy, and supports multi-path mitigation. Its advanced technology of instant and long-distance RTK is designed for high-precision positioning, navigation, and heading applications in static and dynamic environments.

    Features of the UM220-INS include:

    • Built-in six-axis MEMS. UM220-INS has a built-in MEMS with a 3-axis gyroscope and a 3-axis accelerometer. The solution fusing GNSS and inertial MEMS enables car-navigation devices to provide a continuous and stable position under complicated environments such as basement parking and tunnels, regardless of satellite visibility.
    • High-Sensitivity Design. With Unicore’s Ultra-Sense high-sensitivity design, UM220-INS can provide excellent acquisition and tracking sensitivity under weak signal conditions, maintaining the position continuity and reliability of the receiver.
    • High-Integrated Design. Different from traditional GPS navigation products, built-in MEMS devices support the odometer / speed pulse, the reversing signal input, and more integrated, simplified overall unit manufacturers’ design.
    • DGNSS and AGNSS Supprt. UM220-INS has extended support for differential GNSS and assisted GNSS positioning functions, and supports RTCM2.3/3.0.
    • Backward Compatibility with UM220. The UM220-III N module is backward-compatible with the UM220 in size and interface, which makes upgrades easy.
    UB280 BDS/GPS dual-system dual-antenna high -precision heading board. Photo: Unicore
    UB280 BDS/GPS dual-system dual-antenna high -precision heading board. Photo: Unicore

    Features of the UB280 incude:

    • Design standard. This board is totally compatible with mainstream OEM boards in dimensions and electrical standards for the convenience of user’s further development. Apart from this, more hardware interfaces are available.
    • Rapid RTK Integer Ambiguity Resolution. With super strong RTK algorithms, it ensures more rapid initializing speed and can make a GNSS-RTK solution on multi-constellation, thus ensuring users take the lead in the interoperability era.
    • Web Interface. The UB280 supports an Ethernet interface, so users can configure the board through Ethernet, managing, upgrading, and restarting the device remotely.
    • Instant Heading Technology. With an innovative RTK algorithm, Unicore has developed the real-time dynamic heading technology on variable baseline length for a moving base station. High-quality carrier observation and perfect RTK algorithm can provide a 0.2° heading accuracy on a 1-meter baseline.
    • Graphical Interface. Based on the graphical Control and Display Tool (CDT), the state, SNR and elevating angle of the satellites of all the constellations could be displayed on the screen, which is convenient for application development.

    Unicore Communications is located in Booth 118 in the ION GNSS+ exhibit hall.

  • Trimble Offers GNSS Reference Receiver, Seismic Recorder

    Trimble Offers GNSS Reference Receiver, Seismic Recorder

    The Trimble SG160-09 SeismoGeodetic system.
    The Trimble SG160-09 SeismoGeodetic system.

    Trimble has introduced an integrated GNSS reference receiver, broadband seismic recorder and a force-balance triaxial accelerometer for infrastructure and precise scientific applications.

    The Trimble SG160-09 SeismoGeodetic system provides real-time GNSS positioning and seismic data for earthquake early warning and volcano monitoring as well as infrastructure monitoring for buildings, bridges, dams, as well as other natural and manmade structures.

    The announcement was made at the Second European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (2ECEES) in Istanbul, Turkey.

    The Trimble SG160-09 SeismoGeodetic system combines the innovation, reliability and data integrity of both the Trimble and REF TEK brands into a single instrument, Trimble said. The system integrates seismic recording with GNSS geodetic measurement in a single compact, ruggedized package. It includes a low-power, 220-channel GNSS receiver powered by the latest Trimble-precise Maxwell 6 technology and supports tracking of both GPS and GLONASS signals plus the Galileo E1 frequency.

    The system includes both the SG160-09 and utilization of Trimble’s CenterPoint RTX correction service, which provides on-board GNSS point positioning. Based on Trimble RTX technology, the service utilizes satellite clock and orbit information delivered over cellular networks or Internet Protocol (IP), allowing cm-level position displacement tracking in real-time anywhere in the world. The SG160-09 system will be available for purchase without the RTX correction service for those applications using real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning.

    The seismic recording sensor includes an ANSS Class A, low-noise, force-balance triaxial accelerometer with the latest, low-power, 24-bit A/D converter, which produces high-resolution seismic data. The internally built accelerometer has +/- 4g full scale output, large linear range, high resolution and sensitivity, which makes it ideal for both portable and permanent deployment. The SG160-09 processor acquires and packetizes both seismic and geodetic data and transmits it to system operators using an advanced, error-correction protocol with back-fill capability providing data integrity between the field and the processing center.

    The SG160-09 system is ideal for earthquake early warning studies and other hazard mitigation applications, such as volcano monitoring, building, bridge and dam monitoring systems. The SG160-09 system features a variable size industrial grade USB drive to support real-time telemetry data transmission. In the event of a telemetry link outage, the data is stored on the USB drive and can be re-transmitted to the centralized processing station as soon as the communication link comes back up, allowing no data loss during the system operation.

    The Trimble SG160-09 system is optimized for field use with instrument mounted or externally mounted GNSS antenna configurations. The lightweight yet rugged SG160-09 consumes very little power and can be used for projects with remote connectivity and in extreme weather conditions. Because the SG160-09 combines both GNSS and strong motion in a single instrument, site installation time is reduced, data communications flow through a single pathway, and station power infrastructure is streamlined, making the SG160-09 a cost competitive solution compared to other systems on the market today. It has an IP67 rating, which means it is sealed against dust and can be submerged in water up to a meter for approximately 30 minutes. The SG160-09 also meets MIL-STD 810F standard for drops, vibration and temperature extremes.

    “The SG160-09 is another example of Trimble’s on-going focus in GNSS and seismic technology for the scientific and engineering communities,” said Ulrich Vollath, general manager for Trimble’s Infrastructure Division. “Trimble has developed a combined state-of-the-art GNSS receiver with a high-dynamic range, low-noise accelerometer that provides dynamic monitoring with the flexibility required for today and tomorrow’s challenges.”

    The Trimble SG160-09 SeismoGeodetic system is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2014.

  • Carlson BRx5 GNSS Receiver Introduced

    Carlson BRx5 GNSS Receiver Introduced

    The Carlson BRx5 GNSS receiver.
    The Carlson BRx5 GNSS receiver.

    The Carlson BRx5 GNSS receiver, an integrated all-in-one pole-top GNSS receiver, has just been released by Carlson Software, Inc. Each BRx5 contains a multi-constellation, multi-band 270-channel GNSS receiver, internal GSM cell modem, UHF radio, dual hot-swappable batteries and internal level sensors. Designed for survey and GIS professionals, the Carlson BRx5 delivers both affordability and the highest positional accuracy, the company said.

    “Carlson’s exclusive LDL (live digital level) feature in SurvCE 4.0 uses the BRx5’s internal level sensors to provide electronic leveling for better x,y accuracy as you work,” said Bruce Carlson, president of Carlson Software. “In addition, it holds fix under canopy better than most GPS systems currently on the market.”

    Manufactured to Carlson’s exacting specifications by Hemisphere GNSS, the BRx5 receivers can each be configured as base, rover, or network rover. They come with dual Bluetooth ports, allowing users to connect both data collector and a cell phone, and they each come with a fully integrated multi-constellation dual frequency GNSS receiver with UHF radio and GSM cell modem.

    SurvCE 4.0 allows high positional accuracy with the BRx5′s integrated level sensors.
    SurvCE 4.0 allows high positional accuracy with the BRx5′s integrated level sensors.

    Designed for use by surveyors, contractors, builders, engineers and many others, the BRx5 can be purchased as either a Rover or as a Base/Rover package. The Base/Rover package includes two BRx5 GNSS receivers, one hard-sided carrying case, four BRx5 batteries with two chargers, one GPS tribach and one tribach adapter,  and two Carlson GPS receiver poles.

    With its dual hot-swap batteries, there’s no need to stop work to recharge or replace battery packs. In addition, the BRx5 is OmniSTAR-capable with submeter differential correction available worldwide.

    The Carlson BRx5 GNSS receiver is designed to work seamlessly with most data collectors including Carlson’s rugged and popular data collectors: the Carlson Surveyor+, the Carlson MINI2, and the Carlson Supervisor.

     

  • GigOptix Offers GNSS RF Receiver with Dual-Mode, High Linearity, Low Power

    The GigOptix EXG0201
    The GigOptix EXG0201

    GigOptix, Inc., is making available samples of its newest GNSS RF receiver for road, maritime, agriculture and surveying applications.

    GigOptrix is a supplier of advanced high speed semiconductor components for use in long-haul, metro, cloud connectivity, data centers, consumer electronics links and interactive applications, through optical and wireless communications networks.

    The new EXG0201 device is expected to be one of several RF-focused products the company will bring to market over the next few quarters stemming from the recently acquired Tahoe RF Semiconductor, now called the GigOptix-Auburn RF Design Center after its integration into GigOptix earlier this month.

    The new EXG0201 product marks the introduction of GNSS RF receivers by GigOptix. It is a low-power consumption, highly linear RF GNSS receiver in a small Quad Flat No-Lead (QFN) package. The fully integrated device is optimized for industrial applications and has dual channels supporting both the upper and lower GNSS bands.

    The EXG0201 provides two modes of operation, a high-resolution mode and a low-resolution, low-power mode. It integrates RF signal processing, 12 or 3-bit analog to digital convertors, dual fractional-N synthesizers (with a shared reference to generate RF LO signals) and a three-wire SPI digital interface to provide the necessary functionality required to create a high-end GNSS receiver system. All of the EXG0201 sub-systems are programmable through the use of the on-chip SPI interface.

    The GNSS industrial market, supporting road, maritime, agriculture, and surveying applications, is expected to grow to 67% in annual shipments to 43 million devices. The road segment dominates the annual quantity consuming about 98% of the total shipments. The road segment’s growth is driven by increased regulatory pressure for E911 emergency location calls.

    “The EXG0201 represents our introduction of fully integrated RF-to-bits devices into a growing GNSS market, and serves as a proof point to the strategic importance of the Tahoe RF acquisition. The newly acquired IP and product capabilities put us in an excellent position to provide differentiated solutions and increased business over the long-term,” said Irshad Rasheed, director of marketing for wireless and RF products at GigOptix. “From a capabilities standpoint, the EXG0201 provides excellent performance with 28 MHz of signal bandwidth, dual-channel operation, 60 dB of instantaneous dynamic range, and 75 dB of gain, all contained within a small 72-pin QFN package.”

    The EXG0201 is expected to ship in full production quantities starting in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014.

  • Trimble Introduces Compact OEM GNSS UHF Receiver Module for High-Accuracy Positioning

    Trimble Introduces Compact OEM GNSS UHF Receiver Module for High-Accuracy Positioning

    The Trimble BD930-UHF high-performance integrated UHF receiver.
    The Trimble BD930-UHF high-performance integrated UHF receiver.

    Trimble has introduced the Trimble BD930-UHF receiver and communication module. As part of Trimble’s GNSS OEM portfolio, the new compact module features centimeter-level, Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning capabilities coupled with an integrated UHF receiver for precise mobile positioning. The BD930-UHF module’s connectivity and configuration capabilities allow system integrators and OEMs to easily add GNSS, centimeter-level positioning to specialized or custom hardware solutions.

    “The OEM and system integrator communities demand high performance, reliability and support for their positioning solutions,” said Dale Hermann, general manager of the Integrated Technologies division at Trimble. “The Trimble BD930-UHF delivers the latest GNSS and communication technology in an easy-to-integrate form factor for demanding conditions and applications such as field computing, port automation and lightweight robotic or unmanned vehicles. With the BD930-UHF module, customers are purchasing a solution not just a GNSS receiver.”

    Taking advantage of Trimble’s expertise in both GNSS and UHF communications, the Trimble BD930-UHF module has been designed for applications requiring centimeter accuracy in a compact package. By integrating wireless communications on the same module, the task of receiving RTK corrections is significantly simplified.

    The triple-frequency GPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo BD930-UHF provides customers with a multi-constellation solution that can reduce their integration effort and time to market. Ethernet connectivity and onboard web server allows high-speed data transfer and configuration via standard browsers. USB and RS232 ports are also supported. By tightly integrating communications with the GNSS receiver, integrators can reduce costs, power, weight and size.

    The Trimble BD930-UHF is expected to be available in July 2014 through Trimble’s Precision GNSS + Inertial sales channel worldwide.

  • NovAtel Launches OEM617D Single-Card GNSS Receiver with RTK

    NovAtel Launches OEM617D Single-Card GNSS Receiver with RTK

    NovAtel's OEM617D receiver.
    NovAtel’s OEM617D receiver.

    NovAtel Inc. has released the OEM617D receiver, a compact, dual-antenna, dual-frequency, single-card receiver with NovAtel’s ALIGN heading functionality and RT-2 Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GNSS positioning technology, in dynamic and static environments.

    NovAtel made the announcement at AUVSI’s Unmanned Systems 2014, being held this week in Orlando, Florida.

    The OEM617D offers complete dual-frequency operation with GPS, GLONASS, and BeiDou signals maximizing GNSS availability globally. It also tracks Galileo, SBAS, and QZSS. It is designed for rotary-wing aircraft, marine, autonomous ground vehicle, and other applications requiring precise position and heading accuracy.

    NovAtel’s advanced firmware and correction capabilities enhance the positioning performance of the OEM617D receiver, the company said. Firmware is field upgradable and scalable, depending on application needs. In addition to RTK centimeter-level real-time positioning, and ALIGN precise heading and relative positioning, the OEM617D offers GLIDE for decimeter-level pass-to-pass accuracy and RAIM for increased GNSS pseudorange integrity.

    “We continually listen to our customers to ensure we develop new innovations that address their performance requirements and ensure their competitive success in the marketplace,” said Cameron Henderson, NovAtel’s product manager, Core Cards. “With the release of OEM617D, we’ve delivered robust and accurate positioning on our smallest form factor, making it a great solution for the unmanned market.”

  • Septentrio Offers Multi-Constellation Receiver for Space Weather Monitoring

    Septentrio-PolaRxSThe PolaRxS by Septentrio is a multi-frequency, multi-constellation receiver dedicated to ionospheric monitoring and space weather applications. It features simultaneous high-quality tracking of all visible signals (L1, L2, L5, E5ab/AltBOC GPS/GLONASS/Galileo/Beidou/SBAS) at low noise levels. The receiver outputs an extensive set of GNSS measurements, including signal phase and intensity at up to 100 Hz, with a phase noise standard deviation (phi60) as low as 0.03 rad.

    The A Posteriori Multipath Estimator (APME+) tackles short-delay multipath to enhance the measurement quality, while LOCK+ tracking guarantees robust tracking of rapid signal dynamics during scintillation events. Included tools provide continuous total electron content (TEC) and scintillation indices logging for space weather and ionosphere monitoring.

    Learn about more Galileo-ready products in our Galileo Product Showcase from the April 2014 issue.

     

  • SkyTraq Launches Miniature Programmable GNSS Receiver Module

    SkyTraq‘s new family of high-performance system-in-package (SiP) GNSS receiver modules supports GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS and SBAS.The modules integrate SkyTraq Venus8 positioning engine, 1MByte Flash memory, LNA, SAW filter, high precision 0.5ppm TCXO, RTC crystal, and other passive components within tiny 10mm x 10mm x 1.3mm package. The smallest configuration requires only antenna and power to have position fix and generate NMEA output.

    This new 10mm x 10m sized GNSS module family consists of Venus858F-GL GPS/GLONASS receiver module, Venus858F-BD GPS/Beidou receiver module, and Venus838F GPS receiver module. All three modules support additional QZSS and SBAS signal. The three modules are pin compatible; one application design works for all three models.

    Within the consumer and industrial GNSS segment, these modules feature industry’s fastest 50Hz GPS, 20Hz GPS/Beidou, and 20Hz GPS/GLONASS update rate, 29sec cold start TTFF, and better than -160dBm tracking sensitivity.

    Module interface includes two UART, four SPI, one 2-wire interface (I2C compliant), and two PWM among the 28 function-multiplexed digital I/O. A customized Arduino IDE can be used to program the modules, making use of the on-chip peripherals and sharing the internal 32bit RISC, IEEE-754 compliant FPU, and memory resources. Venus838F GPS module has roughly 50MIPS + 490KByte Flash + 45KByte RAM available for user programming.

    Optimized for lowest bill of material cost, the dime-sized modules are designed for high-volume cost-sensitive GNSS applications. Combined with properly tuned antenna fitted to customer’s application design, it provides optimal performance at lowest system cost.

    To lower barrier of adopting latest satellite navigation technology, the traditionally higher-priced GPS/GLONASS and GPS/Beidou receiver modules are offered at same price as the GPS receiver module.

    Volume delivery of all three modules to customers begins in May 2014; engineering sample, datasheet, reference design, and evaluation kits are available now.