GPS World

Tag: multi-band GNSS receiver

  • u-blox: Disruption leads to wide adoption

    u-blox: Disruption leads to wide adoption

    An interview with Markus Uster, head of product center positioning at u-blox about recent GNSS receiver innovations.

    Uster
    Uster

    What was the most significant technical innovation in your GNSS receivers in the past five years?

    The u-blox F9, launched in 2018, is our robust and versatile high-precision positioning technology platform. It was the first receiver to enable multi-band high-precision positioning solutions for mass-market industrial and automotive applications — and remains the benchmark for the industry today.

    The platform combines multi-constellation (continuous reception of four satellite constellations) GNSS technology with dead reckoning and high-precision algorithms. It is also compatible with a variety of GNSS correction data services to achieve positioning accuracy down to the centimeter level.

    The u-blox F9 platform is leading the next generation of high-precision navigation with its augmented reality, unmanned vehicles and various machine automation applications. It has since been integrated into a selection of modules catering to a wide range of applications.

    What has it enabled users to do that they could not do before?

    The u-blox F9 is a widely adopted multi-band GNSS platform for automotive and industrial applications. (Photo: u-blox)
    The u-blox F9 is a widely adopted multi-band GNSS platform for automotive and industrial applications. (Photo: u-blox)

    In a nutshell, the u-blox F9 brought high-precision positioning to the mass market. The demand for scalable high-precision technology is growing rapidly, as evident in the automotive world with next-generation advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and in robotics with applications such as UAVs and robotic lawnmowers. However, due to the complexity, size, power and cost restrictions of existing high-precision solutions, until now it has been difficult to meet the demands of these markets.

    u-blox developed the u-blox F9 platform by building on the success of our NEO-M8P high-precision GNSS module series and drawing on our extensive experience in GNSS positioning technologies, including dead reckoning, multi-band, real-time kinematic (RTK) and GNSS correction services. The platform delivers the next level of scalable GNSS high-precision technology and shows how u-blox is consistently addressing challenges and driving the GNSS technology evolution.

    What is a good example of this?

    Integration of the u-blox F9 platform into various applications has proven quite successful in a diverse range of use cases. In the industrial realm, u-blox F9 technology enables mass adoption of commercial unmanned vehicle applications. One example is precision agriculture, where high-precision positioning cost-effectively enables vehicle guidance solutions to improve pass-to-pass accuracy resulting in improved crop yield and reduced consumption of pesticides, fertilizer and seeds. The u-blox F9 modules also paved the way for autonomous driving, including lane-level navigation for heads-up displays and vehicular infotainment systems, a prerequisite for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles.

  • Adva launches grandmaster clock with multi-band GNSS receiver

    Adva launches grandmaster clock with multi-band GNSS receiver

    Adva’s OSA 5405-MB provides nanosecond timing at a network's edge. (Photo: Business Wire)
    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.