Telit has launched the SE150A4 system-on-module series with an embedded multi-constellation GNSS (GPS, BeiDou, GLONASS and Galileo) receiver for high-performance positioning and navigation.
The SE150A4 module is designed for retail and point-of-service (POS) devices, home automation and security, law enforcement and other applications that need high data rates, advanced human-machine interfaces and edge-computing functionality. It features the Android OS and the Qualcomm QCM2150, and is designed to serve internet of things (IoT) device makers and customers.
With LTE Category 4 for maximum data rates of up to 150 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink, the SE150A4 series is designed for bandwidth-intensive applications such as live, high-definition (1080p/30 fps) video from law enforcement cameras, home security systems and robots. Along with GNSS, Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) 4.2 provide additional connection flexibility.
The SE150A4 series provides native support for integrated peripherals such as high-resolution touch displays, advanced cameras, sensors and audio interfaces, as well as SDIO 3.0, USB 2.0, UART, SPI and I2C digital interfaces. Android OS gives device OEMs, systems designers and other users access to a vast developer community and broad selection of tools and ready-to-use software components.
The modules are available in two versions.
The SE150A4-NA for North America supports 13 LTE bands, including Band 14 for AT&T FirstNet Band and Bands 66 and 71 for T-Mobile, as well as 3G fallback.
The SE150A4-EU for Europe and the rest of the world supports Band 28 and nine additional LTE bands, as well as 2G/3G fallback.
At 40.5 x 40.5 mm, the LCC +LGA form factor allows easy integration in portable, wearable and handheld devices, including mobile point-of-sale terminals, medical monitors, industrial PDAs and telematics cameras. The modules are also suitable for fixed applications such as smart-home gateways and alarm systems.
GeoMax has announced a new GNSS smart antenna, the Zenith60.
The Zenith60 is a calibration-free tilt compensating GNSS smart antenna that incorporates state-of-the-art technology. The antenna’s tilt capability makes surveys faster and more convenient, hence more productive and efficient, the company said.
The incorporated calibration-free inertial measurement unit (IMU) technology is designed to save time. The Zenith60’s resistance to magnetic fields ensures reliable data collection.
The antenna reaches its maximum performance when combined with X-PAD Ultimate field software and GeoMax field controllers, the company said.
Fendt machines in North America, Europe and the Middle East equipped with Fendt Guide guidance systems powered by Fuse Smart Farming now come with NovAtel’s SMART7 GNSS receiver as the default configuration choice.
“We have been working with NovAtel for years, and their support and willingness to adapt to meet our needs makes them the key GNSS receiver supplier for our Fendt Guide guidance system,” said Bernhard Schmitz, director, FendtONE Market Readiness and Agronomy EME. “They are easy to work with and have high-quality products that integrate seamlessly into our machines.”
The SMART7 combines a powerful GNSS receiver with a precision antenna in a durable, all-in-one enclosure designed to stand up to the vibration, weather and temperature demands of harsh agricultural environments. Delivering exceptional positioning, the SMART7 is optimized to succeed in demanding agriculture and off-road applications.
Photo: NovAtel
The SMART7 uses multi L-band tracking to access TerraStar Correction Services globally, bringing repeatable centimeter-level accuracy to any application, anywhere in the world. Access to multi-frequency GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS signals provides better satellite availability in challenging environments.
Resiliency to radio frequency interference is ingrained in NovAtel’s hardware designs, and the company’s Interference Toolkit firmware suite provides detection and additional protection from any potential intentional or unintentional interference.
Powered by NovAtel GNSS+INS technology, the SMART7 uses an optional integrated inertial measurement unit (IMU) to provide continuous 3D positioning, velocity and roll/pitch/azimuth for deeper integration with vehicle guidance and steering systems. Additional optional features on the SMART7 include Wi-Fi and Ethernet for remote connectivity and monitoring.
Hi-Target has introduced a new GNSS receiver, the V200. The V200 is a GNSS RTK receiver with an integrated nine-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU). The receiver is designed to provide superior performance and high-efficiency to support fieldwork with reliable solutions.
The advanced RTK engine and new-generation nine-axis IMU guarantees a 25% performance improvement over the company’s previous V100 model, even in demanding environments. It is designed to be easy to use and carry.
A smart Hi-Fix function supports the receiver to increase stability. Hi-Fix enables continuous connectivity and quality results even if the signal is lost while using an RTK base station or VRS network under extreme circumstances.
Advanced RTK Technology features
Full constellation support (receives GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BDS, QZSS, SBAS, IRNSS)
800+ channels
9-axis IMU for better tilt survey performance
Increases productivity by 25%
Convenient Features
Lightweight at 820 grams
Can work continuously for more than 12 hours
Supported by the latest Hi-Survey Road software and smart Hi-Fix function
The V200 nine-axis IMU GNSS RTK receiver represents a step forward in the development of GNSS receivers towards miniaturization, according to maker Hi-Target.
Septentrio, a leader in high-precision GNSS positioning solutions, has launched the AsteRx SB3 receiver family, enclosed in an IP68 housing. The receiver offers superior availability of RTK high-accuracy positioning because of its ability to track a wide variety of signals from all currently operating GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou).
Even in dual-antenna mode, AsteRx SB3 uses triple-frequency tracking to maximize robustness and availability of its heading angles.
“The AsteRx SB3 brings state-of-the-art GNSS positioning and heading performance in a very compact and rugged enclosure that is fully certified and ready to use,” said Silviu Taujan, product manager at Septentrio. “Its simplicity and ease of use make it a truly plug-and-play device, allowing customers to have a fully operational system within minutes.”
The new line includes two types of receivers, both offering unique triple-band sub-degree GNSS heading.
AsteRx SB3 Pro is a high-performance rover receiver featuring the latest core GNSS+ algorithms for maximal reliability and availability in challenging environments, such as near high structures or under foliage.
AsteRx SB3 Pro+ adds value to the Pro version with base station functionality and internal logging. It also offers higher update rates and ultra-low latency, both important factors for fast-moving vehicles or mechanical components in automation or guidance systems.
AsteRx SB3 products are pin-to-pin compatible with Septentrio’s AsteRx SB ProDirect receiver and with the recently released AsteRx SBi3 GNSS/INS system, making it simple to change receivers.
The Septentrio AsteRx SB3 Pro is ruggedized for tough environments. (Image: Septentrio)
In June 2019, Regulus Cyber’s experts successfully spoofed the GPS-based navigation system of a Tesla Model 3 vehicle. This experiment provided an important warning for all companies using GNSS location and timing: these technologies, on which they depend, are highly vulnerable to spoofing attacks. In the two years since the experiment, companies and governments have continued to research the potential harm that can be caused by spoofing attacks and are learning more about how to defend themselves from them.
The Tesla experiment was groundbreaking because it was the first time that a level 2.5 autonomous vehicle was exposed to a sophisticated GPS spoofing attack and its behavior recorded.
We chose Tesla’s Model 3 because it had the most sophisticated advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) at the time, called Navigate on Autopilot (abbreviated NOA or Autopilot), which uses GPS to make several driving decisions. However, this experiment exposed several cybersecurity issues potentially affecting all vehicles relying on GPS as part of their sensor fusion for autonomous decision making.
NOA makes lane changes and takes interchange exits once a destination is determined, without requiring any confirmation by the driver. Its several other features include autonomous deceleration and acceleration according to the speed limit, autonomous lane changing, and adaptive cruise control.
These features use a variety of sensors, including cameras, radar, speedometers and more. The researchers wanted to test the extent to which the Model 3 relied on its GNSS receiver to make these driving decisions and how it behaved when receiving contradicting information from its GNSS receiver and its other sensors.
The researchers used hardware and software purchased online to mimic the tools potential hackers would use. The experiment involved two software-defined radio (SDR) devices purchased online, one to spoof GPS and one to jam all other constellations, connected to an external antenna to simulate an external attack. The software used to simulate the GPS signal was downloaded from an online source, available for free.
The test included three scenarios the researchers assumed would involve usage of GNSS, each one using a different spoofing pattern:
Scenario 1. Exiting the highway at the wrong location
Scenario 2. Enforcing an incorrect speed limit
Scenario 3. Turning into incoming traffic
A Tesla Model 3 was remotely hacked in a test of a GPS spoofing attack. (Photo: Regulus Cyber)
Scenario 1: Exiting the Highway at the Wrong Location
The car was driving normally at a constant speed of 95 KPH with NOA enabled. The destination determined for this ride was a town nearby and the car designated a certain interchange as the destination for an autonomous exit maneuver. The experiment began 2.5 km before the vehicle reached that interchange; however, the researchers’ fake GPS signal resulted in coordinates of a location on the same highway but only 150 m before the exit.
As soon as its GNSS receiver was spoofed, the car assumed that it had reached the correct exit and began to maneuver to the right, activating the blinker, slowing down, turning the wheel, and crossing a dotted white line to its right side, exiting to an emergency pit-stop, confusing it with the exit 2.5 km ahead.
To be clear, this would not have happened at any location along the highway, because sensor fusion with the radar and the camera enables the car to avoid physical obstacles and ensures that it does not cross a solid white line that makes a turn illegal.
The spoofing attack succeeded, in that it enabled the attacker to remotely manipulate the car’s sensor fusion and make it exit the highway at the wrong location.
Scenario 2: Enforcing an Incorrect Speed Limit
The car was driving to a random city far away on a highway, at a constant speed of 90 KPH, which was 10 KPH below the highway’s speed limit, with NOA enabled. The researchers generated a fake GPS signal, with the coordinates of a nearby town road that has a speed limit of 33 KPH. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle assumed the speed limit had just changed to 33 KPH and instantly began decelerating. Each time the driver attempted to accelerate using the gas pedal, as soon as he lifted his foot off the pedal the car engaged in heavy braking to quickly decelerate back to 33 KPH.
To be clear, this would not have happened if NOA had been turned off. The cruise mode can be disabled by either using the touch screen or by pressing the brakes, which would allow the driver to regain full manual control over the vehicle’s speed.
Again, the spoofing attack succeeded, in that it allowed the attacker to remotely manipulate the car’s speed and made it enforce a speed limit much lower than the actual one on the highway.
Scenario 3: Turning into Incoming Traffic
The car was being driven manually on a two-lane road with one lane in each direction, the type of road on which NOA cannot be used. The researchers generated a fake GPS signal, with coordinates of a nearby three-lane highway, with all lanes in the same direction. Furthermore, the spoofed location was 150 m from a designated exit that the vehicle’s navigation system was programmed to take, requiring a left turn.
Shortly after the car’s GNSS receiver was spoofed, the vehicle assumed it was on a highway and engaged NOA. Next, it triggered the exit maneuver, which began with activating the left blinker, followed by turning the wheel to the left. The driver had to quickly grab the wheel and manually drive the car back to its lane to avoid a collision with oncoming traffic.
To be clear, this kind of scenario would not be possible without the driver enabling the NOA. Once a Tesla driver enables NOA, it automatically turns on once the vehicle is on the highway with a set destination. This is why the researchers assumed that NOA would be turned on by default, and as long as NOA is activated, the vehicle is susceptible to the attacks mentioned in the experiment.
Once again, the spoofing attack was successful in that it enabled the attacker to remotely steer the vehicle into the opposing lane, placing it on a direct collision course with oncoming traffic. Out of the three scenarios described, this one proved that GNSS spoofing can endanger lives.
The hardware used for the GPS spoofing test. (Photo: Regulus Cyber)
GPS Cybersecurity for Automotive Applications
The NOA system in the Tesla Model 3, being an ADAS, allows drivers to rely on the car and its sensors for basic driving functions. Therefore, it enables drivers to briefly take their hands off the wheel and reduces the number of actions they are required to take. Nevertheless, drivers are still required to be fully attentive to the road so that they can take control of the vehicle at any time.
However, since this spoofing attack had such a sudden and instant impact on the car’s driving behavior, a driver who is not fully attentive and aware would not be prepared to quickly take control and prevent an accident. By the time the driver notices that something is wrong and reacts, it might be too late to prevent an accident. Already drivers have been found sleeping at the wheel, driving under the influence of alcohol, and doing other inappropriate tasks with NOA engaged.
Furthermore, this situation assumes a level 2.5 autonomous vehicle as was tested. But what happens in level 3 vehicles, in which driver engagement is limited, or level 4 and 5, in which driver response is non-existent? This research provides us with a glimpse into the crucial importance of sensor cybersecurity and particularly of GNSS cybersecurity.
The Tesla hack experiment and its results were eye-opening for the autonomous vehicles sector – the danger is real and rising as more and more vehicles are depending on GNSS technology as part of their sensors for assisted or automated driving. Up to 97% of new vehicles since 2019 incorporate GNSS receivers and most if not all are still vulnerable to the same spoofing attacks presented in this research.
In January 2021, the UN’s World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) issued Regulation No. 155, which sets guidelines for cybersecurity in the automotive industry with the goal of addressing every possible cyber threat that it might encounter. Annex 5 of the regulation defines cyber attacks and states that in order to get approvals in the future vehicle manufacturers will need to provide solid evidence that their vehicles are sufficiently protected against them.
Among the cyber threats mentioned in the Annex is spoofing of data received by the vehicle — both sybil spoofing attacks and spoofing of messages. The Annex also lists the appropriate protection that vehicle manufacturers should implement and states that vehicle manufacturers will be required to provide evidence of the effectiveness of the mitigation measures they choose. These upcoming regulatory requirements can make the difference between life and death in situations caused by GNSS spoofing and ensure that only reliable and resilient positioning is used within vehicles, both today and in the future.
Please note: Tesla released a statement saying that it is “taking steps to introduce safeguards in the future which we believe will make our products more secure against these kinds of attacks.” Regulus Cyber researchers did not perform any further experiments with Tesla Model 3 since this research was published two years ago.
See the Tesla GPS spoofing experiment from the driver’s point of view:
“Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.
Photo: IBM
Sailing new school
An autonomous ship designed to recreate the Mayflower’s historic journey across the Atlantic 400 years ago returned to the UK after developing a mechanical problem. IBM’s Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) set sail on June 15 on its 3,500-mile journey from Plymouth in the UK to Massachusetts in the United States. The voyage is expected to take about three weeks, and includes collections of data on marine life and sampling for plastic waste. The 50-foot long, solar-powered trimaran is capable of speeds of up to 10 knots (18 km/h) and is being navigated by on-board artificial intelligence (AI) with information from six cameras and 50 sensors. Project leaders say the AI worked perfectly. The ship navigates with precision GNSS, inertial measurement units, radar, weather station, SATCOM and the automatic identification system.
Photo: Lt.j.g. Alexander Fairbanks/U.S. Navy
Sailing old school
U.S. Navy sailors aboard mine-countermeasures ship USS Patriot used celestial navigation to navigate an 1,100-mile voyage back to port on the western coast of Japan in July 2020. The voyage allowed the crew to improve their mariner skills as they used sextants to find their latitude and longitude and compasses to determine their heading. The exercise wasn’t entirely old school. The sailors entered the celestial measurements into a computer to pinpoint their position using the System to Estimate Latitude and Longitude Astronomically (STELLA). The combination of repeatedly inputting sextant measurements, the course and speed of the ship, and time into STELLA, provided an accurate fix of the ship’s position. For backup, Combat Information Center (CIC) watch standers followed the ship’s course with GPS. Training in celestial navigation returned to the Navy as a core competency in 2016, 17 years after the U.S. Naval Academy stopped requiring midshipmen to learn the technique.
Photo: Lt.j.g. Alexander Fairbanks/U.S. Navy
Linear clock shows sunrise, sunset
A creative technologist spent his COVID-19 downtime creating a device that uses a GNSS receiver to compute time relative to sunrise and sunset. “Since it derives time from the satellite signal, it never needs to be set, or ever adjusted for daylight saving time,” explains creator James Wilson on his webpage. The device uses satellite navigation and astronomy to show time as a progress bar measuring the percentage of the day elapsed since sunrise. A second indicator marks the time to sunset in blue.
Tracking Iran’s nuclear site
A team with Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is keeping tabs on activity at Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility using BlackSky’s geospatial imagery and burst collection technology. BlackSky’s satellites provide intraday revisit capabilities, allowing CISAC’s research team to receive multiple images a day, throughout the day, rather than just one image collected at roughly the same time each day. The satellites also can capture a sequence of 20 images within minutes (burst collection) and splice them together to generate a moving sequence of activity. With BlackSky’s assistance, the research team was able to witness trucks emerging from the facility’s underground tunnels.
The Exynos W920 offers high performance, efficiency and LTE connectivity in tiny form factor
Image: Samsung
Samsung Electronics is offering a new processor for wearables, the Exynos W920. The new processor integrates an LTE modem and is built with an advanced 5-nanometer (nm) extreme ultraviolet process node, offering powerful yet efficient performance demanded by next-generation wearable devices.
The Exynos W920 is embedded with a GNSS L1 receiver (GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo) for tracking speed, distance and elevation during outdoor activities. It also has a 4G LTE Cat. 4 modem.
“Wearables like smartwatches are no longer just a cool gadget to have. They’re now a growing part of our lifestyles to keep you fit, safe and alert,” said Harry Cho, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With the Exynos W920, future wearables will be able to run applications with visually appealing user interfaces and more responsive user experiences while keeping you connected on the go with fast LTE.”
The Exynos W920 has two Arm Cortex-A55 cores for high-performing, power-efficient processing and an Arm Mali-G68 GPU with CPU performance improved by 20 percent and 10 times better graphics performance than its predecessor. With upgraded cores and improved performance, the Exynos W920 enables faster application launches and more interactive, eye-catching 3D graphical user interface (GUI) on a device’s qHD (960×540) display.
The Exynos W920 comes in a tiny package with Fan-Out Panel Level Packaging (FO-PLP). The technology incorporates the Exynos W920, power management IC and embedded multimedia card. The processor’s compact size allows smartwatches to house larger batteries or have sleeker designs.
Always-on-display (AOD) for wearables, especially for smartwatches, is a widely adopted feature as it makes it effortless to take a quick look at the time, notifications, missed calls and more without the need to wake the watch up from sleep mode. Rather than powering up the main CPU, the W920 activates a dedicated low-power display processor, the Cortex-M55, reducing display power consumption under AOD mode compared to its previous Exynos model.
The Exynos W920 supports a new unified wearable platform Samsung built jointly with Google, and will be first applied to the upcoming Galaxy Watch model.
Using artificial intelligence (AI), the oneNav receiver improves accuracy and reliability for location-dependent applications and services.
A new L5-only GNSS receiver is now available from oneNav. The mobile receiver provides high location accuracy with half the footprint of existing solutions.
OneNav has signed a strategic partnership agreement with In-Q-Tel Inc., providing U.S. intelligence and defense agencies with a GNSS technology solution that is the first of its kind, according to the company. The company also closed a $21 million Series B funding round, led by GV, with participation from Norwest Venture Partners and GSR Ventures, bringing total funding to $33 million.
“Navigation satellite constellations are getting a major upgrade — L5 signaling. oneNav has built the first Pure L5 mobile receiver to leverage these modernized signals, and we will deliver our solution in a flexible licensing model, as a scalable and customizable IP core,” said Steve Poizner, co-founder and CEO of oneNav. “I’m proud to be working with such an outstanding team of GNSS experts, as well as our top-notch investors GV, Norwest and GSR.”
“Pure L5 is a more cost-, size- and power-efficient method to enable the benefits of modernized signals compared to current hybrid solutions,” added Paul McBurney, oneNav co-founder and CTO.
Other GNSS solutions that fuel location-based services — rideshare, smartphone navigation and 911 emergency calls — depend on L1 satellite signals developed in the 1970s. According to oneNav, legacy L1 systems can have significant accuracy deficiencies, especially in dense urban areas, placing users on the wrong side of the street or on the wrong block.
L1 signals are also susceptible to jamming. Recently, satellite constellations have been upgraded with state-of-the-art L5 signaling. L5 enables higher accuracy, broadcasts in a protected frequency band, has modern error correction and is transmitted at higher power.
OneNav’s Pure L5 solution is built from the ground up to fully leverage modernized L5 signals from the GPS, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS navigation satellite constellations. Unlike current L1+L5 hybrid solutions that must first acquire on L1, oneNav’s Pure L5 solution both acquires and tracks on the new L5 signals, without L1 aiding, thereby taking full advantage of L5 benefits.
By eliminating the need for L1 circuitry, oneNav cuts GNSS RF size, power and cost in half. Supercharged by AI/machine learning, oneNav Pure L5 delivers much higher accuracy, even in challenging areas such as urban canyons. OneNav Pure L5 is ideal for highly space-constrained devices such as smartphones, wearables and IoT tracking modules. The solution is delivered in a semiconductor IP license package that includes register-transfer level (RTL), software and reference designs that can be integrated into a system on a chip (SOC) or built as a discrete chip.
The oneNav L5 mobile GNSS system architecture. (Image: oneNav)
Pure L5 Use Cases
OneNav’s technology will dramatically improve location-based services that are used every day by individuals across the world to pinpoint their location. Common use cases include:
Rideshare. Today’s mobile positioning technologies often place users on the wrong side of the street, or on the wrong block, making rideshare services very difficult to use. oneNav enables riders to more effectively match up with their drivers in downtown areas and other heavily blocked environments.
Smartphone Navigation. It is sometimes difficult to establish your exact location, or to determine which way to turn when using a mobile navigation application in a dense urban area. oneNav’s high availability and precise accuracy enables reliable turn-by-turn directions.
Emergency Calls. First responders need to accurately pinpoint the location of accidents in order to get to the right place quickly. oneNav’s reliable positioning and high accuracy get the right location information to ambulances, fire and police, enhancing public safety.
Asset Tracking. COVID-19 has increased the need for supply-chain assets to be transported and tracked with precision. oneNav enables accurate position reporting for asset tracking and other IOT applications.
“The mobile device industry — from phones to wearables — has made tremendous progress over the last 20 years,” said Karim Faris, GV general partner. “What’s surprising is that location-based services continue to have a significant margin of error, which can make all the difference when locating a rideshare passenger or pinpointing an emergency situation. With oneNav’s Pure L5 Mobile GNSS receiver, OEMs and application service companies will have the opportunity to provide their customers with state-of-the-art location-based services, driving competitive advantage.”
Adva’s OSA 5405-MB provides nanosecond timing at a network’s edge. (Photo: Business Wire)
Adva has launched the OSA 5405-MB, a compact outdoor precision time protocol (PTP) grandmaster clock with multi-band GNSS receiver and integrated antenna.
Part of the OSA 5405 series of smart synchronization devices for indoor or outdoor deployment, the OSA 5405-MB ensures timing accuracy by eliminating the impact of ionospheric delay variation. This empowers communication service providers and enterprises to deliver the nanosecond precision needed for 5G fronthaul and other emerging time-sensitive applications.
The GNSS receiver and antenna enable the OSA 5405-MB to meet PRTC-B accuracy requirements (+/-40 nanosec0nds) even in challenging conditions. For the first time, the technology is available in an edge timing device with minimal footprint, helping operators achieve unprecedented accuracy and reliability as they roll out wide-spread small cell networks.
“Our multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS receiver provides an extremely cost-efficient way to achieve PRTC-B UTC-traceable network timing with the levels of accuracy needed for next-generation use cases,” said Gil Biran, general manager, Oscilloquartz, Adva. “By adding this technology to our versatile, small-form-factor OSA 5405 series, we’re offering a route to precision synchronization at the network access without significant investment.”
“A ruggedized design and minimal visibility make our OSA 5405-MB easy to install in almost any outdoor location,” Biran said. “With the power to compensate for ionospheric delay variations and resilience against jamming and spoofing, our compact edge solution really is the key to 5G synchronization.”
The OSA 5405 series is a versatile timing solution for deployment deep in urban canyons, where advanced end applications require stringent synchronization. With its small form factor, the OSA 5405-I indoor variant can be positioned on windows to avoid multipath signal interference.
Offering both electrical and optical interfaces and with cost-effective Ethernet cabling, the OSA 5405 series avoids RF feeds of traditional GNSS installations by integrating an antenna, receiver and PTP grandmaster in a single device.
Ionospheric Delays. With multi-band GNSS technology, the OSA 5405-MB also protects against timing inaccuracies caused by ionospheric disturbance. By receiving GNSS signals in two frequency bands and using the differences between them to calculate and compensate for delay variation, the OSA 5405-MB eliminates inaccuracy and ensures ultra-precise synchronization whatever the space weather conditions.
It can work with up to four GNSS constellations concurrently (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou), increasing the number of observable satellites in urban canyons. A comprehensive set of Syncjack PTP and GNSS jamming and spoofing monitoring features in combination with Adva’s Ensemble Controller and Sync Director assures high synchronization quality and provides transparency for simple operation of large synchronization networks.
The OSA 5405-MB also offers network-delivered timing backup to further mitigate GNSS vulnerabilities and make synchronization more robust and resilient.
SkyTraq is offering a new multi-band, multi-GNSS receiver module for real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning and heading applications, suitable for autonomous vehicles. The PX1172RH surface-mount receiver measures 17 x 22 mm, about the size of a postage stamp.
With dual-antenna input, the PX1172RH receiver delivers sub-degree heading and pitch or heading and roll angles on top of centimeter-level positioning under both dynamic and static conditions. This removes the dependency on vehicle movement to initialize an inertial measurement unit (IMU) for attitude determination.
The PX1172RH is unaffected by magnetic surroundings and does not require calibration. It offers higher heading reliability and performance than magnetic heading sensors or single-antenna GPS sensors.
Photo: Skytraq
The PX1172RH works with dual-frequency GPS/QZSS L1/L2, GLONASS L1/L2, Galileo E1/E5 and BDS B1/B2 GNSS signals concurrently to enable robust positioning and heading performance under challenging partial-sky environments and to provide RTK convergence in seconds. The PX1172RH is suitable for autonomous precision-guidance applications.
A PX1172RH sample, datasheet and evaluation boards will be available in May, with mass production scheduled for June.
By expanding its GNSS/INS product family, Septentrio starts offering more application-specific positioning and orientation solutions
Septentrio, a leader in high-precision GNSS positioning solutions, has launched the AsteRx-i3 — a new product line of high-performance GNSS plus inertial navigation system (INS) receivers.
The AsteRx-i3 product family brings to market an array of next-generation receivers from plug-and-play navigation solutions to feature-rich receivers with raw measurement access. OEM boards are available for rapid integration as well as ruggedized receivers enclosed in a waterproof IP68 housing.
The variety of products in the AsteRx-i3 line accommodates the specific needs of applications that require high-accuracy positioning together with 3D orientation, heading, pitch and roll angles.
The AsteRx-i3 Pro+ in a rugged housing. (Photo: Septentrio)
“Using our off-the-shelf GNSS/INS systems allows our customers to focus their efforts on core technology and to reduce their products’ time-to-market,” said Danilo Sabbatini, product manager at Septentrio. “With this new generation of products, we aim to satisfy specific needs of various customers. Instead of releasing a single general-purpose product, we bring several dedicated solutions for fastest and easiest integration into systems that require robotic navigation or sensor fusion.”
AsteRx-i3 Pro+ receivers support either single- or dual-antenna modes. The single-antenna mode is suitable for compact and light-weight configurations. The dual-antenna mode reduces the need for movement during IMU initialization, allowing fully informed navigation from mission start.
The AsteRx-i3 product line includes five new GNSS/INS receivers.
The Pro receivers offer high accuracy positioning with 3D orientation and dead-reckoning functionality for fastest and easiest plug-and-play integrations.
The Pro+ are the most versatile receivers providing integrated positioning and orientation along with raw measurements, in single- or dual-antenna configurations, suitable for applications with sensor fusion. One of the receivers offers an off-board inertial measurement unit (IMU), which can be mounted exactly at the alignment point of interest.
