Septentrio’s new web shop offers direct access to mosaic multi-frequency GNSS receiver module. Customers can purchase the mosaic development kit quickly and easily to evaluate this unique module.
Septentrio has opened an online store shop.septentrio.com, selling high-performance GPS/GNSS module receivers. The web shop is accessible via the Septentrio website, offering customers multi-constellation multi-frequency GNSS technology, which provides reliable centimeter level positions suitable for demanding applications.
The first product available for sale online is mosaic, Septentrio’s most compact GNSS receiver module. This light-weight, low-power receiver brings robust high-accuracy positioning to the mass market. With its security-centered anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology, mosaic provides positioning to numerous demanding applications such as automotive ADAS, logistics automation, and robotics.
“We see a growing demand for reliable high-accuracy positioning across various industries. As GNSS receivers move towards becoming a commodity, we are providing our customers with easier and faster access to GNSS technology,” said Francois Freulon, senior product manager, Septentrio. “We are happy to offer the mosaic development kit as the first product in the shop, which makes it easy for people to purchase and evaluate the mosaic module and discover its capabilities for delivering robust, highly-accurate positions. “
True multi-frequency multi-constellation technology of mosaic ensures access to every possible signal from all available GNSS constellations including the U.S. GPS, European Galileo, Russian GLONASS, Chinese BeiDou and Japanese QZSS satellites. Septentrio’s advanced field-proven algorithms exploit this signal diversity to deliver maximum positioning availability even in the most difficult environments such as under foliage or in urban areas.
GNSS signals can become jammed by nearby electronics or illegal jammers that emit radio signals interfering with GNSS. Mosaic uses jamming-resistant signal processing making it robust against interference. Its design focuses on continuous, reliable high-accuracy positioning making mosaic suitable for demanding applications such as ADAS, UAVs and industrial automation.
ADVA has launched a centralized GNSS monitoring and assurance tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) for comprehensive predictive maintenance.
The new customer-owned tool enables users to collect and analyze huge amounts of information from across the network to remotely identify issues and protect networks from GNSS vulnerabilities, including jamming and spoofing attacks.
It also helps to identify GNSS obstruction issues, detect blind/poor spots that appear over time, and enable optimal antenna positioning.
Built into ADVA’s Ensemble Controller network management suite with Sync Director, the solution enables customers to detect potential problems in advance, maintain the highest quality of network synchronization and significantly reduce opex. By complementing today’s limited distributed approach to GNSS assurance with a centralized-global system, it offers a major boost to critical infrastructure dependent on satellite-based timing.
“What we’re offering is a way for network operators to see the bigger GNSS picture. Using AI and ML to analyze the entire synchronization network, our centralized GNSS monitoring and assurance solution will be key in the fight against GNSS cyber issues, such as jamming and spoofing attacks,” said Gil Biran, general manager, Oscilloquartz, ADVA.
“This new technology provides the power to proactively tackle issues that jeopardize vital services,” Biran said. “Harnessing the capabilities of our synchronization devices to identify spoofing problems, it intelligently mines a wealth of data and gives network operators the precise info they need in a highly accessible way. By using long-term heat maps and enormous amounts of data from a wide range of GNSS receiver sources, our solution identifies patterns and preempts issues. It alerts maintenance teams to obstructions or jamming conditions so that countermeasures can be put in place well before services are affected.”
As part of the network infrastructure, ADVA’s centralized GNSS assurance and monitoring solution enables a network-wide view of GNSS receiver health. Requiring no additional hardware or site visits, it remotely delivers detailed analysis, automatically detecting abnormal patterns with a patent-pending algorithm.
Utilizing AI and ML, it alerts maintenance teams to potential GNSS service degradation and safeguards against spoofed signals. Network operators receive updates through a user-friendly GUI as well as regular reports tailored to individual criteria.
As a component of ADVA’s comprehensive Ensemble Controller suite, the new technology makes synchronization monitoring and assurance an integral part of overall network management and control. For network operators, having a single system to track inventory simplifies operations and helps bolster network security.
“GNSS is the fundamental source of network time, phase and frequency generation across so many of today’s industries. From IT to telecommunications, from energy to finance, the reliability of satellite-based timing is crucial and the cost of interference is huge. This latest launch is a key part of our ongoing mission to remove the risk of GNSS vulnerabilities,” said Nir Laufer, senior director, product line management, Oscilloquartz, ADVA.
“The new solution joins our multi-band, multi-constellation GNSS receiver technology — which overcomes ionospheric delay variation — as well as our range of grandmaster clocks with network-based timing and outstanding holdover capabilities,” Laufer said. “Combined with our highly stable cesium clock technology, these create our ePRTC solutions for ultimate GNSS backup. With our comprehensive portfolio, all industry verticals are guaranteed accurate, cost-effective and highly resilient timing.”
While often an underestimated component of a positioning and navigation system, a GNSS antenna is critical to a receiver’s success in acquiring all available GNSS signals while rejecting unintentional interference, jamming, multipath and spoofing. GNSS antennas come in as many flavors as receivers, to address the challenges posed by different market sectors, applications, environments and threats to signal integrity.
Each solution reflects a different balance among performance, cost, size and other variables. For example, antennas for handheld devices must be small and lightweight, while those for excavators and dozers can be much larger and heavier but must be able to operate for years while subjected to severe vibrations and harsh environmental conditions. Antennas for military and safety-critical applications must be especially impervious to jamming and spoofing.
Most applications, however, require antennas, like receivers, to have the smallest possible size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C). Some applications, such as in the automotive market, must also take aesthetics into account.
We asked Javad GNSS, NovAtel, Trimble, Topcon and Harxon about their key markets and the challenges their antennas are designed to address. We also asked them to look back at the past three years and forward at the next three to discuss key innovations. Finally, they discuss technical challenges and industry trends.
See part 1 and part 2 of our GNSS receiver manufacturer overviews.
Javad GNSS
The GrAnt-G2T antenna. (Photo: Javad GNSS)
Key Markets. “The unmistakable lime-green Javad GNSS receivers and antennas are known to surveyors the world over, and we also support reference station, machine control, precise timing and any other market requiring high-performance / high-precision GNSS antennas,” said Javad Ashjaee, founder and CEO.
Specific Challenges. “A good GNSS receiver should bring in all wideband GNSS signals and reject all other unwanted signals,” Ashjaee said. “J-Shield, a robust filter in our antennas, blocks out-of-band interference — in particular, signals near the GNSS bands, such as the LightSquared signals — making the precious near-band spectrum available for other usages.”
Key Innovations. “To support our users in ever more challenging environments,” Ashjaee said, “such as denied environments where electronic warfare takes place, we have developed a new GrAnt-G2T antenna variant with even stronger J-Shield filtering: improved P1dB (the 1-dB compression point, > –30 dBm) and additional upper and lower out-of-band filtering.”
Harxon
The HX-CSX100. (Photo: Harxon)
Key Markets.Harxon is dedicated to designing and manufacturing high-precision GNSS antennas and solutions for industries such as surveying, UAVs and precision agriculture, said Wang Xiaohui, R&D manager.
Specific Challenges. “Harxon’s GNSS antennas primarily address issues related to the reliability of phase center, multi-constellation full-frequency coverage,” Xiaohui said, “tracing unstable satellite signals at low elevations, multipath signal interference, and how to integrate high-precision GNSS antennas and mobile communication antennas into a single design.”
Key Innovations. Over the past three years, Harxon has made “great breakthroughs” in GNSS antenna innovation, Xiaohui said. First, it greatly reduced the size and weight of choke ring antennas. As an example, Xiaohui cited the company’s mini choke ring antenna HX-CGX611A. Second, it optimized accuracy to the millimeter level and expanded to full frequency its quadrifilar helix antenna, such as with the D-Helix antenna. Third, Harxon upgraded the surveying industry to 4G communication by developing a four-in-one antenna that supports multi-constellation with full frequencies and integrates GNSS antennas, Bluetooth and 4G modules with high compatibility and outstanding performance, Xiaohui said, such as with the HX-CSX100. “For the next three years, Harxon will continue its research and investment in antenna technology breakthroughs, especially with regard to further miniaturization and improved performance.”
Technical Challenges. “The first interesting challenge is how to guarantee the performance of the antenna while miniaturizing it per our customers’ demands,” Xiaohui said. The second is reducing the size and weight of antennas with anti-multipath technology, “so as to boost the applications of high-precision positioning GNSS technology.”
Trimble
An external Trimble antenna helps the GeoXR handheld achieve survey-grade accuracy. (Photo: Trimble)
Key Markets. “Trimble’s core technologies in positioning, modeling, connectivity and data analytics enable customers to improve productivity, quality, safety and sustainability,” said Stuart Riley, vice president, GNSS Technology. “From purpose-built products to enterprise lifecycle solutions, Trimble software, hardware and services are transforming industries such as agriculture, construction, geospatial, transportation and logistics, rail, forestry, utilities and autonomous applications.”
Specific Challenges. Each application has different requirements, Riley said. “For applications that require the highest position accuracy, the stability of the phase center, multipath mitigation, and the unit-to-unit production consistency are critical,” he said. Some customers require high performance in challenging environments — such as the high vibration experienced on construction equipment — while others require smaller, lower-cost antennas and can tolerate a slight reduction in accuracy. “The antenna is typically a combination of a passive antenna element with an active low noise amplifier (LNA),” he said. “The LNA needs to be carefully designed to remain linear in the presence of in-band jamming while rejecting out-of-band signals. There are size and cost trade-off challenges to the filter roll-off at the band edge that need to be managed.”
Key Innovations. For high-precision applications, Trimble first released the Zephyr series of antennas in the late 1990s. “It provides excellent phase center stability and unit-to-unit production repeatability, and has exceptional multipath mitigation performance, which is enhanced in the geodetic version,” Riley said. Since first introducing the antenna, Trimble has added support for additional GNSS systems and RF bands (L1/E1, L2, L5/E5 and L6/E6), transitioned to a RoHS-compliant manufacturing process, improved the LNA performance, developed rugged versions for construction vehicle mounting, and produced a smaller version used in the Trimble R10, R12 and SPS986 GNSS receivers.
“More recently,” Riley said, “we developed a lower-cost high-performance antenna for the Trimble Catalyst software-defined GNSS receiver for Android phones and tablets, as well as an antenna in the Nav-900 guidance controller for agriculture that implements a metamaterial design. Looking forward, we expect to continue to innovate by providing antennas that meet the needs of the different markets we serve. Each application has unique requirements, which require us to balance the cost, performance and size to develop the appropriately optimized product. Enhancements will include novel antenna architectures, production technique improvements, and careful material selection.”
Technical Challenges. Trimble users have a wide variety of requirements, Riley said. “The challenges come in balancing the seemingly conflicting needs for performance, size, weight and cost. Because Trimble focuses on specific user segments, we can provide antenna solutions that are the best fit for the various applications. For example, an antenna in a handheld device must be small and lightweight; however, on a construction machine, durability takes precedence over size and weight.”
Topcon Positioning Group
The Sokkia GCX2 receiver integrates a helical antenna. (Photo: Topcon)
Key Markets.Topcon Positioning Group is a leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of precision measurement and workflow solutions for the global construction, geospatial and agricultural markets, according to Alok Srivastava, director, product management. “By integrating high-precision measurement technology, software, services and data, Topcon has a vision to improve productivity to meet global demand for sustainable infrastructure and agriculture,” Srivastava said.
Specific Challenges. The physical challenges when designing an antenna for geomatics applications have been multipath and interference mitigation, Srivastava explained. “Topcon has an advanced research and development team that focuses solely on antenna designs. The team dedicates its efforts to providing state-of-the-art antennas for all positioning needs.”
Key Innovations. “Topcon was very early in realizing the growing needs for radio spectrum and the challenges it may bring to GNSS technology,” Srivastava said. “It has innovated and used filters to mitigate interference from Japan LTE signals for a long time.”
Topcon’s antenna team is “among the most innovative in the industry,” Srivastava said, and “has brought many unique designs of antennas over the years. The antenna is a key element of an integrated receiver in dictating the design of the whole receiver.” With the release of the Sokkia GCX2 receiver, he explained, his company introduced to the industry the integration of a helical antenna into a high-performing integrated receiver.
Its infrastructure antennas, the CR-G5 and PN-A5, are available with options including cavity filter technology. “The cavity filter has the superior ability to minimize near-band interference,” Srivastava said. Topcon’s antenna farm at the Concordia test site in Italy contains an absolute calibration robot, a large format antenna (BigAnt) for a high-quality geodetic ground station, and patented technology for controlled testing of GNSS technology in artificial obstructions.
“Vibration mitigation is the key when an antenna is mounted to a piece of machinery,” Srivastava said. “Topcon antennas are an integral component of our Quartz Lock Loop (QLL) technology for robust GNSS operation in high-vibration environments.”
Technical Challenges. The importance of antennas can be underestimated, Srivastava pointed out, especially with rapidly growing interest in GNSS technology in consumer applications. “The antenna is one of the most critical technologies when it comes to reliable and robust GNSS positioning. Designers and manufacturers of antenna technology with years of experience understand the seriousness of this task, and are fully equipped to deliver results without compromising quality and performance.”
NovAtel
The VEXXIS family of GNSS antennas. (Photo: NovAtel)
Key Markets. Key antenna markets for Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division are split into three areas, according to Dean Foster, director of hardware engineering. His area includes the company’s anti-jamming antenna technology (GAJT) and robust SWAP-C antennas. The other two are precision and SMART antennas for agriculture, mining, survey and autonomous vehicles (Vexxis, SMART7, and GNSS 1500), and reference GNSS antennas (GNSS750 and ANT-C2GA).
Specific Challenges.NovAtel’s antennas address three main challenges. First, jamming and interference, whether intentional or unintentional, are becoming increasingly commonplace and seriously impact GNSS reception. “These issues are addressed by our GAJT product line of high-precision anti-jamming antennas, which can mitigate multiple jammers simultaneously,” Foster said. Second, “the stability and precision of the antenna’s phase center is critical to deliver robust and precise GNSS position even in challenging environments, which is addressed by our Vexxis GNSS-800 antennas.” Finally, more frequent use of GNSS in environments with reflection issues is making multipath rejection critical. “The entire line of NovAtel antennas, including Vexxis, SMART and GAJT, ensures use of the most direct signals.”
Key Innovations. Driverless vehicles require sub-meter-level positioning for lane-level resolution. “Multi-constellation/multi-frequency GNSS with protection limits and correction services are necessary to move forward safely,” Foster said. “This technology does not work with the smallest size, single-frequency, narrow-band antennas that cars currently utilize, so we’re building on our deep experience and knowledge to develop production-grade automotive antenna technologies.” An emerging requirement is reducing size, weight, power and cost (SWAP-C). “In the defense market, we first offered jamming and interference mitigation with the GAJT-710, which progressed to the GAJT-AE, and most recently we launched the GAJT-410.”
Technical Challenges. All markets want the smallest, most robust and cost-effective antenna to meet their needs, Foster said, adding that NovAtel is helping customers work through how to select, place and integrate antennas into their platforms to address real-world problems.
The prevalence of intentional and unintentional GNSS interference has sparked quick evolution in antenna technology, including the emergence of breakthrough technology in 2019 and new advancements in development, said Imtiaz Bahadur, product line manager.
Specifically, the drive to advance antenna technology is due to “an increased demand for broader coverage, stringent industry compliance, and a need for robust capabilities.”
Key Innovations. Among recent innovations in antenna technology, Bahadur cited GPS antennas with support for dual-frequency multi-constellation compliance with Global Aircraft Traffic Management (GATM) mandates to enable military aircraft to operate in controlled airspace, and antennas that offer broader band coverage.
In 2019, Cobham introduced the 20-2041 Fixed Reception Pattern Array (FRPA) GPS antenna, which addresses all three of these priorities, said Darren Windust, product manager – air. The L1/L2 dual-frequency GPS antenna is certified to both ETSO-C190 and MSO-C144. “In conjunction with a certified receiver, the 20-2041 offers a single solution to comply with GATM regulations to access controlled airspace and undertake GPS precision approach and landings, in a standard 3.5-inch form factor.”
Technical Challenges. “It’s clear that moving from one GPS signal to eight signals from four constellations in support of performance-based navigation is going to be the next major disruptor because of the significantly expanded signal power and highly efficient design,” Bahadur said. The quest to make antennas smaller also continues. “Today, there are physical limitations on how far one can miniaturize the antenna while ensuring sufficient gain is received. Research and development efforts are underway to build ‘smart antenna’ concepts for the future. Moving into the next few years, robust antenna capabilities will arrive in smaller, more efficient form factors.”
In the second part of our receiver feature, top receiver manufacturers discuss what’s on the horizon for GNSS receivers: recent and upcoming innovations, combating spoofing and jamming, fusing GNSS with other sensors, and the impact of increasing accuracy both for professional surveyors and consumers.
In January, we featured responses from NovAtel, Trimble, Unicore, Topcon, Hemisphere GNSS, CNC Navigation and Septentrio to questions about their recent and upcoming innovations in the design and manufacturing of GNSS receivers. We continue in this issue with responses to the same questions from Javad GNSS, Swift Navigation, Eos Positioning Systems, Tersus GNSS, TeleOrbit, Allystar Technology and NTLab.
All GNSS receiver manufacturers agree that spoofing and intentional and unintentional jamming are serious challenges. Their approaches to dealing with these challenges differ, however, as they rely on different combinations of technologies on both their receivers (such as monitoring cycle slips and using analog-to-digital converters, correlators and notch filters) and their antennas (such as using array antennas), as well as the new Galileo authentication service.
Photo: Tersus GNSS
Many receiver manufacturers now routinely use optical, inertial and other sensors — which continue to drop in price and increase in performance — to supplement GNSS signals where they are degraded or denied, especially in the automotive market.
Carrier phase positioning and correction services are increasingly improving the accuracy of survey stations and reducing their price. Meanwhile, submeter accuracy is spreading beyond surveying to other industries. Performance in challenging conditions also continues to improve, thanks largely to the increase in the number of GNSS constellations, available satellites and frequencies. (For a review of recent developments in antennas, see our companion article here.)
On the consumer side, the introduction of multi-frequency GNSS receiver chips, the increased use of correction services, and, in a few countries, the deployment of thousands of additional base stations will continue to increase the location accuracy of cell phones and other consumer devices, enabling new applications. However, in these devices size and cost limitations make antenna performance particularly challenging. (See Part 1 here.)
Javad GNSS
Jamming and Spoofing. “We protect you against jammers and spoofers like no one else can,” said Javad Ashjaee, founder and CEO of Javad GNSS. “We use multiple techniques to detect spoofers, the most important being the use of digital signal processing to detect more than one peak. First, with 864 channels and about 130,000 Quick Acquisition Channels in our Triumph chip, we have resources to assign more than one channel to each satellite to find all signals that are transmitted with that GNSS PRN code. If we detect more than one reasonable and consistent correlation peak for any PRN code, we know that we are being spoofed and can then identify the spoofer signals and ignore the wrong peak.”
An example of two peaks. (Chart: Javad GNSS)
Ashjaee described additional techniques:
The J-Shield filter blocks out-of-band interference.
Sixteen 255th-order FIR anti-jam digital filters protect against static in-band interference, and 16 adaptive 80th-order digital filters protect against dynamic interference.
Javad products measure the level of interference as a percentage of in-band noise above normal.
The Triumph chip has a powerful spectrum analyzer. Each spectrum shows the power and the shape of the interfering signals and jammers. This is more powerful and more efficient than using a commercial spectrum analyzer to evaluate the environment.
The chip also keeps a record of Automatic Gain Control, which is another indicator of external signals. A change in AGC can indicate interference.
Deviation of SNR from the expected value is another important indicator of interference.
“Usually there are over 100 signals available at any given time, and we need only four good signals to compute position. It is extremely unlikely that we can be spoofed without our knowledge.” Ashjaee concluded. “We will immediately recognize and take corrective actions.”
Jamming and spoofing protection is available on all Javad GNSS receivers and OEM boards. Read more about Javad GNSS’s jamming and spoofing protection in the December 2019 issue.
Sensor Fusion. “To support users in environments where GNSS RTK solutions are difficult or impossible to obtain,” Ashjaee said, “Javad GNSS has invented the J-Mate, which is a remotely controlled robotic EDM device and digital camera. GNSS RTK and optical can be seamlessly integrated using the J-Mate as the seventh RTK engine. Just set up a Triumph-3 on top of a J-Mate and a Triumph LS on top of a zebra rod, making the former pair the RTK base station and the latter pair the RTK rover.” Read more about Javad GNSS’s RTK and Optical United solution in the November 2019 issue.
Swift Navigation
Jamming and Spoofing. “Receivers have become more robust to intentional jamming by mimicking the jammers’ behavior to cancel it,” said Alex Pun, staff product manager for Swift. “Nevertheless, advanced jamming and spoofing mitigation often imply array antennas. A real evolution lies in considering these threats only in terms of the availability of the GNSS sensor, now part of a complete multi-sensor positioning engine such as Starling.”
Sensor Fusion. IMUs, visual sensors and GNSS will aid each other in different types of environments and scenarios, explained Pun. “Sensors are becoming more affordable, and their performance increases with each new generation. Sensor fusion will be the glue that will bind them to provide a precise positioning solution.”
Surveying. The combined use of carrier-phase positioning and correction services, such as Swift’s Skylark, will greatly improve accuracy and reduce the cost of survey stations, because they make their accuracy less dependent on the intrinsic performance of the receiver and the antenna, Pun said. “A global service eliminates the need for an individual base station.”
Consumer Devices. “The introduction of dual-frequency GNSS receivers from chip manufacturers will help improve positioning in cell phones and other consumer devices,” Pun said. “These chips, coupled with a widely available correction service such as Skylark, will greatly improve their performance accuracy to sub-meter levels.”
Other Challenges. Performance stability of the antenna and its characterization will become the main challenge to exploiting the new GNSS ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) and correction services at their highest level of performance, Pun said. “A positioning engine can exploit this information to accelerate the convergence to the high-accuracy solution, and then improve its availability.”
Eos Positioning Systems
A surveyor uses the Arrow Gold receiver to map assets in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada. (Photo: Eos Positioning)
“The past three years have seen considerable innovations and trends in the GNSS industry,” said Jean-Yves Lauture, CTO of Eos Positioning. “Receivers are becoming increasingly affordable and the adoption of higher-accuracy (submeter, centimeter) positioning by other industries, outside of conventional surveying, is growing. Considering the now four usable GNSS constellations and the aggressive launches of Galileo and BeiDou satellites, the number of available satellites and the list of frequencies they use has considerably increased.
“Although accuracy itself is not really improving, performance is — particularly in tougher conditions. It’s not uncommon for customers to use 30 to 35 satellites out of more than 40 in view using an Arrow Series GNSS receiver. The numbers are even higher in the Pacific regions, thanks to geostationary BeiDou satellites. This is, by far, more than double the number of satellites available with just GPS and GLONASS.”
Consumer Devices. “It will be challenging for smartphones and consumer devices to achieve survey-grade accuracy in the next few years. They face certain limitations. For instance, there is a cost and physical size associated with using a high-end GNSS antenna with a minimum of ground plane to achieve these levels of accuracy.
The Arrow Gold RTK GNSS receiver. (Photo: Eos Positioning)
“Also, it is unlikely that the manufacturers of consumer devices will invest in developing the advanced algorithms needed for a high level of constant accuracy and performance. In order to fit into a smartphone, consumer-grade GNSS chipset manufacturers must drop the use of many available signals and frequencies to keep both size and power consumption to a minimum.”
Allystar Technology
Photo: Allystar
Jamming and Spoofing. The GNSS chip in Allystar’s TAU1301 module supports eight adaptive notch filters to reduce the effects of GNSS jamming, explained Shi-Xian Yang, senior principal engineer in the company’s Baseband Algorithm Department. “It significantly improves the performance of GNSS tracking measurements, even in the presence of strong and fast-varying jamming signals.”
Sensor Fusion. The TAU1310 integrates a six-axis micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) gyro, which makes its affordable for the mass market, Yang said.
The Lenovo Z6. (Photo: Lenovo)
Consumer Devices. In its Z6 smartphone, Lenovo has taken advantage of the great improvement in multipath mitigation provided by the L5 signal’s higher chip rate and the output of high quality raw data via the TAU1302’s HD8040 GNSS chipset to improve the accuracy experience in the consumer market, Yang explained. Additionally, he pointed out, cell phones and other consumer devices now enable developers to access the raw sensor data from such sensors as accelerometers and barometers to input into their fusion algorithms.
Other Challenges. In the future, the TAU1310 could also support the L6 signal for PPP-RTK application.
NTLab
NTLab anti-jamming GNSS receiver. (Photo: NTLab)
Jamming and Spoofing. The problem of jamming and spoofing worries customers, according to Konstantin Yuriev, lead GNSS engineer at NTLab. The combination of anti-jam and anti-spoofing is in greater demand because the anti-jam feature alone is becoming insufficient. Yuriev cited the European Union’s new requirements for the European Railway Traffic Management System (ERTMS), which makes anti-spoofing mandatory.
The key issue today is “the solution to the problem of reducing the size and cost of anti-jam receivers, so that they become available to consumers on the civilian market. The key technology for this will be increasing the degree of integration of the component base, first creating a chipset for solving anti-jamming and anti-spoofing tasks, and then moving on to a single-chip solution. We have created a chipset and are ready to start work on the further integration into a single chip.”
Sensor Fusion. The traditional task of integrating data from a GPS antenna and a MEMS sensor has been solved, Yuriev said, with many such solutions on the market. One task is to track the antenna’s tilt. “The antenna, GNSS receiver, and MEMS sensors should be located very closely to each other — if possible, on a single small board,” Yuriev said. “Here, again, the solution is to increase the degree of integration, up to placing the baseband processor on the same chip with the digital CMOS circuitry of the MEMS sensor.” Another application of MEMS is serving as the core of an inertial navigation system (INS), providing an auxiliary subsystem for detecting the presence of spoofing. “This is more of an algorithmic task,” Yuriev said, “because traditional coupling using recursive filters is not enough. It is necessary to ensure the independence of the INS subsystem from the GNSS solution, or their intelligent mutual cross-control.”
Surveying. A major part of the cost of a survey-grade device, Yuriev pointed out, is for additional services, know-how, and other added values. There is market demand for a business model in which device price could go down while maintaining the main values for the customer. “This could be achieved if end-users tightly cooperate with hardware manufacturers, skipping third-party integrators. Alternatively, multiple third parties could compete, keeping the cost of the software low. One of the technical solutions for this is to provide software application programming interfaces (APIs) that will allow multiple third parties to offer application-level software for the same hardware. We call it the ‘open platform’ approach. One of our products implements this strategy.”
Other Challenges. Despite some skeptics, Yuriev argued, new GNSS systems have been successful. “A good example is IRNSS (NavIC), with India’s population of 1.3 billion forming a potential market. Moreover, according to our studies, good coverage is provided not only in India’s territory. We are working on creating an economically affordable solution with support for the NavIC S-band. A new chip-scale packaged RFIC (radio-frequency integrated circuit) should minimize the size, consumption, and price of NavIC-oriented modules, while maintaining all the advantages of the S-band signal in areas close to the equator. This is our solution to the problem.”
TeleOrbit
GOOSE platform. (Photo: Fraunhofer IIS)
GNSS Receiver Development Platform. The company’s GOOSE platform is a field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based GNSS receiver, developed by Fraunhofer IIS, making it flexible in processing new or proprietary signals, according to Katrin Dietmayer, software development engineer at Fraunhofer IIS. “It comprises 60 hardware channels in real time and provides an open software interface for customer applications,” she explained.
Jamming and Spoofing. “It grants deep access to the hardware interface, down to, for example, the correlation values. Additionally, anti-jamming functions (such as notch-filter or pulse-blanker) can be added and anti-spoofing algorithms are already implemented. Thanks to the open architecture, our customers can also implement these or other algorithms.”
Sensor Fusion. Vector tracking in real time is already implemented on code base. Deep coupling with INS/IMU multi-sensor fusion — for example, with an odometer, ultra wideband or 5G — are possible and under development, Dietmayer said.
Surveying.TeleOrbit provides GNSS-RTK using RTKLIB. “The implemented Open GNSS Receiver Protocol (OGRP) is fully documented with a parsing tool using CONVBIN from RTKLIB as RINEX converter,” Dietmayer explained.
Consumer Devices. GOOSE is also used as the reference receiver in the ESA project Receiver Technologies for Future Mass Market (RT4FMM) devices. The project validates state-of-the-art dual-frequency mass-market receivers based on Broadcom BCM47755 and u-blox F9 and compares their performance against GOOSE E5AltBOC processing.
Other Challenges. GOOSE already processes the new Galileo OS-NMA (Open Service – Navigation Messages Authentication), while implementing the new Galileo High Accuracy Service (HAS) is on the roadmap. “The combination of these new features will result in a robust and reliable high-accuracy position,” Dietmayer said. “For system testing, the intermediate frequency signals can be recorded, processed and replayed with the platform.”
Tersus GNSS
The Oscar. (Photo: Tersus GNSS)
Jamming and Spoofing. Xiaohua Wen, founder and CEO, said his company has done much research and testing on jamming and spoofing. “We already implemented a high dynamic analog-to-digital converter to overcome jamming. To mitigate spoofing, we think that internet of things (IoT) devices can leverage cloud services. Alternatively, the new Galileo authentication service may serve the same function.”
Sensor Fusion.Tersus GNSS makes an INS product, and its Oscar receiver contains an inertial measurement unit (IMU). “The sensor fusion hub is a very hot topic in the automobile industry,” Wen said. “We are quickly adapting our Oscar and INS product line for the creation of high definition maps and for indoor navigation. We think it’s still the major pain point for a crowded country such as China.”
Surveying. As has been the case in many other industries, Wen said, the widespread adoption of GNSS technology and the increase in the number of players in the field has led to a drop in prices. “Tersus’ David and Oscar models are low cost but still perform well compared with Tier 1 players for professional survey machines using our own OEM GNSS board,” he said.
Consumer Devices. The fact that a few vendors are providing dual-frequency chipsets in smartphones opens the door for consumer-grade sub-decimeter applications, Wen said. “But we think the antenna could be a big challenge for the small devices.”
Other Challenges. “Mobile carriers are building thousands of base stations,” Wen said. “For example, Softbank in Japan completed 3,300 stations this year. China Mobile just issued a bid for a phase one project for 4,400 stations. We think mobile phone innovations for the new high-accuracy application may have some impacts in the coming years. We have been actively looking at some new GIS (geographic information systems) applications based on our in-house Nuwa platform.”
Top receiver manufacturers discuss what’s on the horizon for GNSS receivers. The companies reveal recent and upcoming innovations, how to combat spoofing and jamming, fusing GNSS with other sensors, and the impact of increasing accuracy both for professional surveyors and consumers.
With regard to jamming and spoofing, the preferred approach is a combination of monitoring, detection and filtering. However, shielding, the use of IMUs and other third-party sensors, and advances in processing algorithms also help mitigate interference. In a few years, hopefully, encrypted or “watermarked” signals will substantially reduce this problem.
IMUs and other sensors are now routinely integrated with GNSS receivers, with their outputs fused. This trend is largely propelled on the demand side by the needs of the emerging market for autonomous vehicles and on the supply side by smaller, cheaper and more accurate IMUs and lidar scanners. Meanwhile, developments in algorithms have improved the modeling of errors to correct for the inherent tendency of IMUs to drift. Additionally, digital cameras, lidar and other industry-specific sensors are increasingly common, especially for collision avoidance in human-machine interactions.
In surveying, the use of all constellations and frequencies, as they become available, is an industry trend. Costs will continue to drop as the growth in the adoption of GNSS solutions enables manufacturers to take greater advantage of economies of scale. Precise point positioning (PPP), which benefits greatly from the growth in GNSS constellations, is now giving real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning a run for its money. Available applications enable Android mobile devices to achieve centimeter accuracy, while innovations continue in core positioning algorithms.
In the world of mobile consumer devices, dual-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS chipsets are increasingly prevalent. As increased accuracy fuels expectations for even higher accuracy, precision positioning may become the norm in the consumer space, and new applications for these devices may emerge. Already, crowdsourcing the monitoring of both GNSS signals and interference helps improve accuracy for everyone, in a positive feedback loop.
Other notable trends include the introduction and expansion of 5G data networks, the increased use of satellite-based correction services, and continued efforts to develop precise positioning for indoor areas. (See part 2 of this feature here.)
Topcon
Jamming and Spoofing. “We continue to develop and deploy patented technology to detect spoofing,” said Alok Srivastava, director, product management. “We already have cutting edge GNSS antenna technology to provide stellar support for interference rejection and filtering.” All Topcon end products have this advanced antenna and filtering technology.
Sensor Fusion. “Topcon has been using inertial systems for decades for a variety of positioning applications — such as machine control, mobile mapping, and agriculture,” said Srivastava. “In recent years, advancements in IMU technology have progressed to where the size and cost of these sensors are at levels to be utilized at a larger scale. For example, the recently released Topcon HiPer VR takes advantage of inertial technology to improve productivity in real time with our Topcon Integrated Leveling Technology (TILT), which compensates for mis-leveled field measurements out of plumb by as much as 15 degrees.”
Surveying. Topcon continues to invest in its core positioning algorithms to innovate such features as quartz lock loop, advanced multi-engine platform, and VHD heading technology into its positioning engines, Srivastava said. “We also produce solutions such as our Millimeter GPS and Hybrid Positioning innovations, which are designed around improving accuracy, higher reliability, and greater flexibility by converging positioning technologies.”
Consumer Devices. “GNSS in consumer devices and other commercial systems is used to aid other positioning sensors,” Srivastava said. “So, it may not be in the best of interest to offer that level of accuracy from GNSS alone.”
Other Challenges. Precise indoor positioning is a requirement of the vertical construction industry. “Topcon’s combined optical instrument takes a unique approach to solve that problem by integrating a compact laser scanner with a fully featured robotic total station,” Srivastava said.
Photo: CHC Navigation
CHC Navigation
Jamming and Spoofing.CHCNav is currently taking a twofold approach to GNSS interference, said François Martin, vice general manager, International Division. “As a GNSS system integrator, we focus our design around strong electromagnetic shielding and sealed isolation chambers.” Additionally, he pointed out, the advanced filtering of GNSS signals and an antenna patch produce optimal interference mitigation.
Sensor Fusion. Integrating interference-free, high-dynamic IMUs instead of MEMS has brought the full benefits of tilt compensation to users, Martin said. The latest development in algorithms dramatically obviated the need for the annoying process of initializing GNSS IMU receivers and boosted the availability of GNSS RTK in demanding environments.
Surveying. The fast adoption of GNSS solutions by large user segments has reduced costs by enabling a sizable manufacturing economy of scale, Martin pointed out. “Tighter combination of embedded technologies such as GNSS and connectivity modules are sustaining that cost reduction process.”
Consumer Devices. “The emergence of dual frequency multi-constellation GNSS chipsets supports the development of untapped user segments, but the position accuracy repeatability remains an issue,” Martin said. “The integration of GNSS chipset and high-performance helical antennas, as precision add-on modules, onto rugged Android cell phone and tablets is creating a prosumer-grade centimeter to decimeter accuracy answering to a wide range of mobile workforce applications.”
Other Challenges. A growing number of positioning and navigation applications require the fusion of technologies to increase productivity, Martin said. “The integration of advanced tightly integrated positioning algorithms, scanners, IMUs, HDR cameras, IoT and cloud-based connected solutions are a clear trend.” However, their adoption by a large user base remains limited by their current price point.
Photo: Septentrio
Septentrio
Jamming and Spoofing. “Recent developments in receiver-antenna combinations maximize the benefits of anti-jamming techniques,” said Gustavo Lopez, market access manager. Third party sensors, such as IMUs, also help mitigate interference, he pointed out. “Septentrio’s advanced receiver technology such as AIM+, a standard feature on all the company’s products, bring not only real time monitoring but also jamming/spoofing mitigation. Galileo and GPS have clear roadmaps bringing signal authentication in order to avoid spoofing.”
Sensor Fusion. Smaller IMUs with higher grade performance now on the market are enabling new use cases in autonomous applications, said Lopez. Other important elements are a new generation of compact high-performance sensors and the growing importance of multi-sensor technology “to provide even higher levels of positioning integrity.” He cited Septentrio’s AsteRx-i family of products as an example of GNSS/INS integrated solutions.
Surveying. As an example of Septentrio’s survey-specific products, which “continuously benefit from advanced developments being rolled out in our platform,” Lopez cited the Altus NR3.
Consumer Devices. The increasing positioning accuracy of cell phones, Lopez pointed out, “has spurred innovations such as PPP and the use of mobile phone measurements,” as well as “other purposes, such as interference detection and crowdsourcing.”
Other Challenges. “Sensor fusion is a key element in positioning and orientation,” Lopez said. “Easy integration is a key element in this trend. Also, integrity in error reporting and positioning will be required as well as reliable raw measurements which can be integrated with other sensors. This drives the requirement for receivers capable of running customer proprietary software. Another important element will also be the possibility of running positioning algorithms on a third-party processor.”
Photo: Hemisphere GNSS
Hemisphere GNSS
Jamming and Spoofing. “Hemisphere’s new Lyra II ASIC platform used in our Phantom and Vega series positioning and heading boards,” said Miles Ware, director of marketing, “introduces new technology and filtering methods to identify and mitigate known and unknown interference sources that typically have an adverse effect on GNSS performance.”
Sensor Fusion. “Advancements in IMU integration and sensor fusion,” Ware said, “will continue to be a key focus for Hemisphere to support the growth and adoption of the expanding autonomous vehicle and application marketplace. The positioning and heading technology offered in our Vega 28 will be a core component for autonomous marine, machine control, and agriculture solutions for new and emerging markets.”
Surveying. “Access to modern and future signals like BeiDou Phase III, ALTBOC and BS-ACEBOC significantly enhance GNSS accuracy, especially in challenging environments where satellite visibility is compromised by the topography and or the structures present,” Ware pointed out. “Survey solutions that can not only track but also use all the available GNSS measurements in their RTK solution will have a substantial advantage in the market.”
Consumer Devices. “As mobile phones and consumer devices continue to adopt hardware designs that can access the latest GNSS signals,” Ware said, “the opportunities for solutions where high precision measurement engines can be hosted within mobile devices opens up a new realm of solutions that can leverage the high accuracy positioning performance found in Hemisphere technology and products. We see this as a very exciting and emerging area.”
Other Challenges. Ware pointed to “leveraging GNSS technology to further support environmentally friendly transportation solutions and sustainable agriculture,” for which GNSS continues to be an integral component.
Photo: Unicore
Unicore Communications
Sensor Fusion. “We are implementing GNSS with different level IMUs, including low-cost and high-end, targeting automotive, intelligent driving, and robot application scenarios,” said Gao Jingbo, marketing director. “The algorithm can also integrate with the already-existing sensors on the platform, such as IMUs, cameras and odometers. The solution can be done on the GNSS side, with high information synchronization accuracy, or processed on the platform.”
Surveying. Products with Unicore boards inside can provide centimeter- to millimeter-level positioning accuracy, said Jingbo. “Unicore’s high-precision boards and modules can track all frequencies of all satellite systems. The UGypsophila RTK technology can make the most of the observation data of all frequencies in all systems even without the observations of the base station in the RTK solution, thus greatly improving the usability, reliability and accuracy of RTK.” The company is now also working to reduce the dimensions and cost of its products, Jingbo pointed out. “With Unicore’s single GNSS SoC on board, the UB4B0M and UM4B0 modules are making affordable high-end high precision surveying possible.”
Consumer Devices. Algorithms and hardware are ready now to implement PPP+RTK in cell phones, Jingbo said, and this increase in positioning accuracy will enable many more applications. “We have rich experience in high precision GNSS, but the antenna might be a challenge. Our new generation 22 nm GNSS SoC features low power consumption and support of sensor fusion. Additionally, true point technology by Rx-Networks (also a BDStar company) can provide sub-meter data service, which also enables users to access centimeter-level accuracy location data through their mobile phones and wearable technologies, without increasing the demand for processing power.”
Photo: Trimble
Trimble
Jamming and Spoofing. “Trimble’s latest GNSS receivers leverage our seventh-generation Maxwell technology, which implements hardware- and software-based techniques to detect and mitigate spoofing,” said Stuart Riley, vice president, GNSS Technology. “In addition, Trimble continues to improve the robustness of our GNSS receivers with advances in processing algorithms and hardware enhancements such as the integration of inertial technology.”
Sensor Fusion. “For many years, IMUs have been widely used in Trimble agriculture and Applanix products,” Riley said. “Over the past few years, we’ve created a new line of lower-cost inertially integrated board-level GNSS receivers. We have also integrated inertial components into survey and construction products, including tilt compensation in the Trimble R10, R12 and SPS986 receivers. Trimble also combines its GNSS solutions with optical, laser, lidar and other sensors.”
Surveying. Trimble’s GNSS products, Riley pointed out, range from GIS handhelds to high-performance mobile mapping systems.
Consumer Devices. “The Trimble Catalyst system uses Android-based smartphones or tablets to run an application that includes a software-defined GNSS receiver,” Riley said. “The recently introduced SiteVision system builds on this ecosystem and integrates Google’s ARCore platform with precision GNSS to provide an augmented reality solution for a variety of professional applications.”
Other Challenges. To address signal masking and multipath, Trimble has “continued to improve performance in difficult environments with products such as the Trimble R12 receiver, which provides sophisticated multipath mitigation and an advanced precision processing engine.” Riley said, “Trimble’s RTX Correction Services, delivered via satellite, enable users to achieve RTK speed and accuracy nearly anywhere on the planet without the need for local reference stations.”
Photo: NovAtel
NovAtel
Jamming and Spoofing. “The RF environment is at best crowded and at worst hostile,” said Sandy Kennedy, vice president of innovation, Hexagon’s Positioning Intelligence division. “The NovAtel OEM7 generation of receivers was launched in 2016, with interference detection and mitigation as key features on every variant. Protecting authenticity, availability, and precision for multifrequency measurements is the challenge going forward — in all segments of the system: constellation management and SIS, antenna, receiver design and processing in FW/SW.”
Sensor Fusion. In the last three years, Kennedy pointed out, IMU manufacturers have made significant improvements in the performance offered in smaller, cheaper IMUs. “At the same time, new methods to improve error modelling (to control positioning errors) have been added to the NovAtel SPAN product line, especially in SPAN Land profile. Extended GNSS outages are easily handled now.”
Surveying. “PPP has become a strong competitor to RTK, as convergence times have decreased, and this will continue in service offerings like Terrastar-X from NovAtel,” Kennedy said.
Consumer Devices. The devices, Kennedy said, offer “the tantalizing promise of quality measurements from a common utility device with huge computing horsepower and data connectivity built in! It’s fun to watch, and we shall see if accuracy is truly addictive enough to fuel development for general use of precision positioning.”
Other Challenges. “In the past 20 years, users have moved from awe and wonder that centimeter-level positioning is possible — to utter contempt when it is not,” Kennedy said. “This will continue, with an added requirement of integrity and functional safety. Continuously available positioning within a usable protection level is a requirement for autonomous vehicles.”
Microchip releases MAC-SA5X, enhancing its miniature atomic clock (MAC) technology to deliver wider temperature range and rapid warm-up time
As reliance on precise frequency and timing increases due to GNSS enabling 5G communication networks, data centers and other mission critical infrastructure, smaller size and high-performance atomic clock technology has become essential to supporting both military and commercial applications.
To meet demand for a small-footprint atomic clock, Microchip Technology released a higher performance atomic clock for its size and power. The new device also delivers a wider thermal range, critical performance improvements and other enhancements over previously available technology, the company said.
Next-Gen Timing. Microchip’s next-generation MAC-SA5X miniaturized rubidium atomic clock produces a stable time and frequency reference that maintains a high degree of synchronization to a reference clock, such as a GNSS-derived signal.
Its combination of low monthly drift rate, short-term stability and stability during temperature changes allows the device to maintain precise frequency and timing requirements during extended periods of holdover during GNSS outages or for applications where large rack-mount clocks are not possible.
Image: Microchip
Operating over a wider temperature range of -40 to +75 Celsius, the MAC-SA5X was designed to quickly achieve atomic stability performance by taking less time to lock compared to some of the existing clock technology, Microchip said. In an aircraft application, for example, these attributes enable faster power up of critical communication and navigation systems in extreme climates.
The MAC-SA5X allows system developers to avoid the need for extra circuitry by integrating a one pulse per second (1PPS) input pin for fast frequency calibration, saving time and development cost. In addition, the MAC-SA5X is designed with the same footprint as previous generation miniature atomic clock technology, reducing the development time to transition to the newer, higher performance device.
“As an industry leader, Microchip continues to invest in next-generation atomic clock technology for Department of Defense programs, mission-critical infrastructure and networks that require a high degree of accuracy in timekeeping and synchronization,” said Randy Brudzinski, vice president and general manager of Microchip’s frequency and time business unit. “The MAC-SA5X adds several performance and feature enhancements while retaining the same footprint as the previous generation MAC-SA.3X products, enabling customers to easily transition to the new technology.”
Designed and manufactured in the U.S., the MAC-SA5X operates to the following additional specifications:
<5.0E-11 frequency stability over operating temperature;
<5.0E-11 per month aging rate; 6.3-watt power consumption;
47 cc in volume.
The MAC-SA5X provides backward compatibility with its predecessor MAC-SA.3Xm family and comes in an ovenized crystal oscillator (OCXO)-sized package of 50.8 mm x 50.8 mm.
Microchip has delivered more than 275,000 rubidium clocks, 120,000 chip-scale atomic clocks (CSACs), 12,500 Cesium clocks and 200 active hydrogen masers to customers worldwide.
Development Tools. The MAC-SA5x family of atomic clocks is supported by evaluation kit 090-44500-000.
Availability. The MAC-SA5X atomic clock is available now for pre-sampling, and will be available for deliveries in February. Microchip supports the MAC-SA5X with technical support services as well as an extended warranty.
New modules enable entertainment, advanced connectivity features and next-generation artificial intelligence
Qualcomm Technologies has launched three new mobile platforms — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, 662 and 460 — to enable enhanced user experiences across connectivity, gaming and entertainment.
The new mobile platforms support dual-frequency (L1 and L5) GNSS to improve location positioning accuracy and robustness. The system-on-chip solutions also support the Indian NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).
Seven constellations. For the first time supported on mobile, the Qualcomm Location Suite now supports up to seven satellite constellations concurrently, including the use of all of NavIC’s operating satellites for more accurate location performance, faster time-to-first-fix (TTFF) position acquisition, and improved robustness of location-based services.
“ISRO is satisfied with the efforts of Qualcomm Technologies Inc. towards incorporating NavIC and we urge OEMs to leverage it for future handset launches in India,” said K. Sivan, chairman, ISRO. “The availability of NavIC across multiple mobile platforms will help enhance the geolocation capabilities of smartphones in the region and bring the benefits of this indigenous solution to Indian consumers for their day-to-day use.”
The new modules also enable fast 4G connectivity speeds, deliver key Wi-Fi 6 features and integrated Bluetooth 5.1 with advanced audio via the Qualcomm FastConnect 6-series subsystems.
Artificial Intelligence. Designed to deliver new and improved AI user experiences across photography, voice assistants and virtually always-on scenarios for increased contextual awareness, the new platforms also feature the Qualcomm AI Engine and Qualcomm Sensing Hub.
“While we see a fast adoption of 5G across geographies globally, we do recognize the phenomenal boost that 4G has given towards enabling broadband connectivity for Indian consumers. 4G will continue to remain a focus area for Qualcomm Technologies for regions like India, where it will stay a key technology for connectivity,” said Rajen Vagadia, vice president and president, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. “Our goal is to enable our partners to continue creating solutions that offer seamless connectivity access and exceptional mobile experiences, that consumers can count on.”
“Today’s smartphone users want fast, seamless connectivity, advanced features and long-lasting battery life,” said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This expansion of our 4G lineup enables our partners to offer sophisticated solutions that meet global demand and enable a remarkable gaming experience across multiple tiers and price segments.”
Photo: Qualcomm
Snapdragon 720G
Snapdragon 720G reimagines extraordinary gaming and entertainment experiences with select Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, striking capture capabilities, and intelligent performance. Leveraging select Snapdragon Elite Gaming features from premium-tier mobile platforms, Snapdragon 720G delivers smooth HDR game play, dynamic color range and contrast, realistic and immersive in-game environments, and high-quality, synchronized sound with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive.
In addition to gaming, users will have a “home theater in their pocket” with HDR viewing and super-smooth video streaming with the Qualcomm Spectra 350L ISP, Qualcomm said. They can also capture 4K video or snap massive 192-megapixel photos.
Snapdragon 720G also features the latest fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine with the improved Qualcomm Hexagon Tensor Accelerator that will enable a host of new AI experiences for gaming, photography, voice assistants and virtually always-on contextual awareness.
The integrated Snapdragon X15 LTE modem supports 3-carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO on two carriers and 256-QAM modulation for fast download speeds up to 800 Mbps — allowing for quick app downloads and smooth video streaming and sharing.
In addition, Snapdragon 720G, with the FastConnect 6200 subsystem, virtually doubles Wi-Fi speed and range for online gaming and web browsing, compared to single antenna devices, while also delivering key Wi-Fi 6 features such as 8×8 sounding with multi-user MIMO for up to 2x improvement over competitive Wi-Fi 6 devices, Target Wake Time for up to 67% better power efficiency and the complete WPA3 security suite, as well as integrated Bluetooth 5.1 with advanced audio capabilities.
Finally, users will experience power savings and improved performance due to the Snapdragon 720G’s 8-nm process technology and upgraded CPU architecture.
Snapdragon 662
Snapdragon 662 brings astonishing camera and AI capabilities to the 6-series for the first time. It will feature the new Qualcomm Spectra 340T, which supports triple camera configurations and smooth switching between them — a first in the 6-series. A more robust ISP will enable support for photo capture in the HEIF file format for stunning image quality at half the file size.
The addition of the third-generation Qualcomm AI Engine with Hexagon Vector Extensions and the Qualcomm Spectra 340T will enable AI-based user experiences such as avatars, night photography, and face and voice authentication.
Snapdragon 662 also features the new Snapdragon X11 LTE modem with peak download speeds up to 390 Mbps thanks to 2-carrier aggregation, 2×2 MIMO and 256-QAM modulation, along with 150 Mbps peak uploads to support a snappy web browsing and social media experience.
Snapdragon 460
Snapdragon 460 boasts a gigantic leap in performance across the board in the 4-series, as well as significant boosts in connectivity, AI and camera improvements[1] for the next-generation of mass market smartphones. For the first time in the 4-series, Snapdragon 460 features performance CPU cores and an updated GPU architecture that translates into up to 70% and 60% increase in performance, respectively.
Overall system performance, meanwhile, delivers a 2x increase compared the previous generation. The Hexagon processor with Qualcomm Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX) is also introduced into the 4-series for the first time, thereby equipping it with a 3rd generation Qualcomm AI Engine and the Qualcomm Sensing Hub for new AI experiences for photography and voice assistance.
The Qualcomm Spectra 340 ISP is also among the many new additions to the 4-series, enabling the platform to capture stunning photographs and support for triple cameras. An integrated Snapdragon X11 LTE modem allows for download speeds up to 390 Mbps and uploads up to 150 Mbps.
To date, more than 85 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 7-series mobile platforms, more than 1600 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 6-series mobile platforms, and more than 2,500 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 4-series mobile platforms have been announced by global OEMs. Together, the 7-, 6- and 4-series amount to over 4,000 designs — an impressive feat for these segments.
Devices based on Snapdragon 720G are expected to be commercially available in Q1 2020 and devices based on Snapdragon 662 and 460 are expected to be commercially available by the end of 2020. For more information, please visit the product details pages for the Snapdragon 720G Mobile Platform, Snapdragon 662 Mobile Platform, and Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform.
Allystar Technology Co. Ltd. has launched the dual-band multi-GNSS modules TAU1202/TAU1205, which support both the L1 and L5 bands to enhance sub-meter positioning accuracy. Constellations received include GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, QZSS and IRNSS.
Besides the L1 band, TAU1202 and TAU1205 also support L5/B2a/E5a, which are expected to have lower noise and significantly reduced multipath mitigation because of the higher chipping rate of L5 signals relative to L1 C/A code.
Chart: Allystar
TAU1205 supports IRNSS (NavIC) which makes it suitable for navigation in the urban areas of India and the Middle East, as there are seven NavIC satellites with a higher elevation than both GPS and Galileo satellites.
Photo: Allystar
Powered by Allystar Cynosure III GNSS chipset and with built-in low-noise amplifier and surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter, TAU1202 and TAU1205 provide higher sensitivity, ensuring exceptional acquisition and tracking performance even in weak signal areas.
Based on 40-nm manufacturing processes of the Cynosure III GNSS chipset and state-of-the art internal PMU, TAU1202/TAU1205 comes with very low power consumption at less than 40 mA.
Multiple communication interfaces including UART and I2C simplify customer designs and provide a better time-to-market for customers’ products.
“Due to its excellent performance in urban area, compact design and concurrent multi-GNSS reception, TAU1202/TAU1205 has become a popular selection for vehicle and asset tracking in worldwide,” said Zhang Yanping, Allystar product line manager. “The launch of TAU1202/TAU1205 shows Allystar continues to drive GNSS evolution in thte navigation mass market.”
Allystar started TAU1202/TAU1205 mass production in the second half of 2019.
A roundup of recent products in the GNSS and inertial positioning industry from the January 2020 issue of GPS World magazine.
OEM
Heavy-duty antenna
For challenging environments
AT311 antenna. (Photo: CHC Navigation)
The heavy-duty CHCNAV AT311T is designed for demanding applications subject to shocks and vibrations. With advanced filtering and robust signal tracking, it provides survey-grade GNSS signals to enhance position reliability for marine applications, machine control, precision agriculture and industrial automation. Features include multi-constellation GNSS tracking using GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, IRNSS and SBAS. Its IP68 water-resistant design makes it safe to use in extreme conditions with a wide temperature range (–40° C to +85° C). Its internal stacked structure enhances performance in high-interference environments, and the 40-dB signal gains, advanced signal filtering and multipath rejection design provide superior and robust GNSS signal tracking in challenging surroundings.
The UAS1 GNSS receiver module has been designed for UAV/UAS applications requiring centimeter accuracy in a small package.(Photo: Trimble)
The UAS1 compact, high-precision GNSS board was designed for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). It allows UAS system integrators to add upgradeable GNSS-based positioning using rugged connectors and Trimble’s software interface. Its 336-channel GNSS engine is capable of tracking L1/L2 frequencies from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou for centimeter-level, real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning. The compact board provides capabilities from high-accuracy GPS-only to full GNSS features. The receiver supports fault detection and exclusion (FDE) and receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM). System integrators also have the ability to detect interference with an RF spectrum monitoring and analysis tool embedded in the receiver.
The Onyx multi-frequency GNSS OEM board offers integrated StarFire/real-time kinematic (RTK) GNSS capabilities. It features 255-channel tracking, including multi-constellation support for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo. It provides high performance in GNSS receiver sensitivity and signal tracking as well as patented multipath mitigation, interference rejection and anti-jamming capabilities. Through software options, the Onyx ,allows upgrades from free differential GPS signal sources such as WAAS, to increased accuracy services such as StarFire and RTK Extend. The software-enabled features are sold in bundles, but can also be purchased individually to suit changing application needs.
The OSA 5401 and OSA 5405 now enable power utility and broadcast networks to achieve sub-microsecond synchronization. (Photo: Business Wire)
The OSA 5401 and OSA 5405 upgraded PTP grandmaster clocks deliver precise, robust timing in a compact form factor. Oscilloquartz PTP timing technology enables power utility and broadcast networks to achieve sub-microsecond synchronization. The pluggable OSA 5401 is a small PTP grandmaster clock, and the OSA 5405 is an integrated PTP grandmaster with dual GNSS antenna and receiver. With spoofing and jamming detection capabilities, they also provide high availability. The OSA 5401 and 5405 provide new levels of accuracy and resilience for infrastructure and support emerging bandwidth-intensive, latency-sensitive applications. With sub-microsecond synchronization, smart grids can perform flexible, real-time decision making, as well as monitoring and automated maintenance. The OSA 5401 and OSA 5405 comply with the latest PTP profiles for time, frequency and phase synchronization in both power utility and broadcast networks. These include the IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3 Power Utility Profile for precise time distribution and clock synchronization in electrical grids with an accuracy of 1μs, and SMPTE 2059 for synchronizing video and audio equipment over packet networks.
The SBAS-capable CMA-5024 GPS has received U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for installation on Boeing 737 Next-Generation aircraft. It enables B737NGs to comply with worldwide ADS-B Out mandates as well as SBAS/GPS navigation, enabling the first localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches for B737NGs. The CMA-5024 GPS is a cost-effective alternative to replace a multi-mode receiver (MMR). The approved DO-260B ADS-B Out positioning source can be paired with any DO-260B compliant transponder, allowing operators to meet FAA and EASA ADS-B Out requirements, the UAE’s ADS-B Out and RNP requirements mandated by GCAA as well as India’s GAGAN requirements.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved the VTU-20 automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) transmitter for airport surface management. Adhering to the performance and design assurance specifications of FAA-E-3032, the externally mounted VTU-20 ensures integration and interoperability with Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), Airport Surface Surveillance Capability (ASSC) and ADS-B receiver surveillance solutions for airport. The VTU-20 can be permanently or magnetically mounted to all airside vehicles, including utility, emergency, snow-removal and maintenance equipment. Each vehicle is clearly and uniquely identified, providing an essential addition to any surface movement guidance and control system.
Skyward’s Advanced Airspace Intelligence drone airspace maps provide airspace data combined with essential ground intelligence including 3D views of key structures, transmission lines, and more than a million vertical obstacles. The platform also provides access to LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability program provided by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Data available for situational awareness includes vertical structure obstacles, power lines, airports, runways, national parks, stadiums, hospitals and schools.
Hi-Target PPK GO precision add-on enables Phantom 4 RTK drones to achieve the accurate and reliable camera positioning data in any coordinate system without measure targets or ground control points. With 2-centimeter accuracies on XYZ, the output text file with position information or geotagged images can be used directly in major photogrammetric mapping or 3D survey software. The add-on allows selection of GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/ Galileo L1+L2+L5 and further parameter adjustments for position calculation in the PPK process to ensure the most reliable and accurate camera positioning even in poor single satellite system signals.
The R620 GNSS receiver is a complete refresh of Hemisphere’s previous version, the R330. (Photo: Allison Barwacz)
The next-generation R620 receiver is designed for land and marine applications requiring high-precision positioning. It is a complete refresh of the previous version (R330) and has a new low-profile ruggedized enclosure. Customers can start with sub-meter positioning accuracy and upgrade the receiver through activations and subscriptions to add functionality and improve performance capability to centimeter-level accuracy. Powered by the Vega series, the R620 GNSS receiver processes and supports more than 1,100 channels. It simultaneously tracks GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou (including Phase 3), Galileo, QZSS, IRNSS, SBAS and Atlas L-band corrections. It has status LEDs , a powerful WebUI, UHF (400-MHz and 900-MHz) radio, cellular modem, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet (including power over Ethernet), CAN, serial and USB.
For land surveying and geospatial information systems (GIS)
Photo: Geneq
The rugged SXPad 1500 data collector features an alphanumeric keypad and long-range Bluetooth, and was designed to meet the rigorous IP67 standard for challenging field conditions. It has a 5-inch sunlight-readable touchscreen. The SXPad 1500 can be connected to any GNSS receiver or compatible robotic total station. Driven by a 1-GHz processor and the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system, providing the power to work with maps and large data sets in the field. Its integrated cellular modem and Wi-Fi provides wireless connectivity for internet access and GIS data transfer — helpful for configuring a real-time kinematic (RTK)-compatible GNSS receiver. Equipped with an internal memory of 1 GB (memory can be expanded to 16 GB with an SD card), the SXPad 1500 provides enough storage space for data recording. Its high-performance lithium battery allows uninterrupted field operation for up to eight hours.
The LT700H RTK Android tablet is designed to increase efficiency and productivity of the mobile field workforce in applications requiring centimeter-to-decimeter positioning accuracy. Portable, rugged and versatile, the LT700H enables precision GIS data collection, forensic mapping, construction site layout, environmental surveys, landscaping and earthmoving jobs. Powered by 184-channel high-performance GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou module and a superior tracking GNSS helical antenna, the LT700H provides position availability in demanding environments. Its integrated 4G modem ensures seamless communication from field-to-office and robust connectivity to RTK correction networks.
The Trimble Alloy GNSS reference receiver now supports BeiDou Generation III (BDS-3) signals. This will enable operators to meet the ongoing demand from surveyors, mapping professionals and precision farmers for accurate, reliable corrections derived from real-time networks. Released in 2018, the Alloy has the processing power needed for high-quality data from multiple constellations. Alloy version 5.42 firmware tracks all available and planned GPS Block IIIA L1C and BDS-3 signals.
Hexagon showcased the Leica DSX utility detection solution at Intergeo 2019. (Photo: Allison Barwacz)
The Leica DSX utility detection solution can be used together with Leica GPS/GNSS systems to generate highly accurate, georeferenced maps. The DSX uncovers utilities for repair and maintenance, civil engineering and surveying projects. The ground-penetrating radar system includes portable hardware and software that automates data analysis and creates a 3D utility map.
BCM4776 chip utilizes 30 new L5 signals to deliver higher navigational accuracy and yield
Photo: Broadcom
Broadcom introduced in 2017 the first mass-market implementation of dual frequency: BCM4775. This chip makes use not only of the classic L1 frequency broadcast by every satellite, but also of the more advanced L5 signal broadcast by a subset of the satellites.
The use of this enhanced L5 signal improves the accuracy of GNSS in an urban scenario, as it mitigates the main source of error: the reflections in the nearby buildings, also known as multipath. It also improves GNSS in an open-sky scenario, allowing submeter accuracy, a previously unmet performance bar in smartphones until now. Ever since, the BCM4775 has been adopted in flagship smartphones, smartwatches and fitness devices.
Given the unabated need for better precision and accuracy, Broadcom has introduced its second-generation dual-frequency GNSS solution — the BCM4776.
The new chip is capable of using the new BeiDou-3 constellation’s B2a signals (the Chinese indicator for L5). It will be able to track 30 new L5 signals (60 percent more) with a significant impact on accuracy. End users will experience much higher reliability of the submeter accuracy inherent to dual-frequency L1-L5.
Image: Broadcom
Second generation dual-frequency GNSS will be used for innovative lane-level driving navigation instructions, allowing driving applications to know which highway lane the vehicle is in. Expect instructions like “move one lane to the right so you don’t miss your next highway exit” or “move one lane to the left to take the pool lane and save 10 minutes.”
The company also announces that HERE Navigation On-Demand is OEM-ready with APCOA as partner
HERE Technologies has introduced at CES 2020 its High Definition Global Navigation Satellite System (HD GNSS) positioning, a cloud-based solution that enables mass-market devices to achieve sub-meter accuracy across the globe.
CES 2020, the massive annual consumer electronics show, is taking place Jan. 7-10 in Las Vegas. Here’s booth is at Central Plaza, Tech East.
HD GNSS enables new user experiences with lane-level navigation, augmented and virtual reality. It combines precise point positioning (PPP) and real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning methods, allowing for fast convergence time, high availability and global coverage.
It also supports off-the-shelf mobile devices and internet of things (IoT) trackers equipped with dual frequency chipsets such as the Broadcom BCM47765 and BCM47755.
Photo: HERE
More mass-market devices and vehicles are being equipped with dual-frequency GNSS receivers. With the HD GNSS service, the receivers enable high-precision positioning, HERE said, a capability that was cost and geographically prohibitive less than two years ago.
HERE HD GNSS accelerates chipset, hardware and software makers’ ability to offer a step change in what can be delivered to consumers in new product capabilities, features and user experiences, the company said.
HERE HD GNSS data delivery is optimized for mobile devices, requires no additional hardware and comes equipped with spoofing detection and phone sensor integration. It provides global coverage (including China and Japan), with single-frequency mobile device support in the future.
HERE is also working across a partner ecosystem — including reference station operators, chipset manufacturers, module makers, hardware vendors, mobile network operators and system integrators — to jointly improve the positioning accuracy to centimeter levels, and in more challenging environments such as urban canyons.
Automotive use cases
Autonomous driving. For safety, it’s critical that automated vehicles are designed with high levels of redundancy in positioning systems. If an automated vehicle gets caught in bad weather conditions which are degrading optical sensor operations, <0.2m positioning accuracy available via HD GNSS increases safety and operation time in autonomous mode.
Assisted driving. In case of an obstacle on the road, HD GNSS combined with HERE HD maps provide obstacle indication and avoidance functionality.
Mobile device use cases
Road lane guidance and improved ETAs on mobile devices. If a driver is unfamiliar with the roadway, HERE HD GNSS, combined with precision HERE map data, shows the driver the correct lane and path to navigate to the destination fast and safely.
Improved gaming and augmented reality experience. Location-based games are growing and widely popular, however they currently rely on less accurate positioning technologies that inhibit next generation use cases. HERE HD GNSS bring exciting opportunities to design the next version of games with sub-meter positional accuracy.
HERE Navigation On-Demand is OEM-ready with APCOA as partner
HERE Navigation On-Demand is now available for integration in OEM infotainment programs. APCOA Parking is the first non-automotive company to use the Service Package SDK to make its parking services available on HERE Navigation On-Demand.
HERE Technologies’ software-as-a-service solution HERE Navigation On-Demand is available for integration in OEM infotainment programs. With HERE Navigation On-Demand, OEMs and Tier 1 vendors get to deliver both connected services and expandable navigation experiences on both embedded and mobile platforms.
The connected solution cuts development and lifecycle costs by offering cutting-edge, off-the-shelf functionalities while enabling OEMs and Tier 1 vendors to use an SDK to build their own features or integrate third party services.
As a software-as-a-service offering, HERE Navigation On-Demand enables OEMs to remotely configure and monitor the deployed navigation solution making it possible to update and upgrade the experience anytime, even after the sale of the vehicle.
OEMs can further offer any functionality as a subscription option and thus generate new, recurring revenue streams. The end-user accesses the navigation experience through client software which downloads the Service Packages from the cloud.
The highly modular Service Packages include map data, software features, UX elements and references to Cloud Service APIs. Smart caching of these Service Packages ensures that HERE Navigation On-Demand also works offline.
Alexa, Amazon’s cloud-based voice service, is pre-integrated into HERE Navigation On-Demand, making it faster and easier for automakers to deliver an intuitive, voice-first navigation experience to customers in the car.
A version of the NeQuick G algorithm using a new coding approach is now available for download on the GSC website. This version is the result of intensive recoding by engineers at the EU’s Joint Research Centre.
GNSS signals traveling through the ionosphere can be significantly delayed by the electrical charges in this atmospheric layer before reaching the users’ terminal. To compensate for this delay in the signal, Galileo receivers integrate a dynamic model of the ionosphere composition known as the NeQuick G model.
Receiver manufacturers will now be able to benefit from a version of the NeQuick G correction algorithm that implements a new coding approach.
Rigorous testing
The JRC concluded its work recently after successful rigorous testing in the framework of the gLAB tool (GNSS software suite from the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya). This version of the code has been designed to be highly modular, rendering it more legible for a potential programmer with no specific knowledge about signal propagation in the ionosphere. A library has been also developed to enable its quick integration into existing applications.
This software will be released as free and open source software under the terms of the European Union Public Licence (EUPL), version 1.2.
The open-source code is now ready to be implemented on single-frequency platforms and can be used on a global scale without limitation under the EUPL. This freedom should contribute to a wider adoption of the NeQuick G model at user level.
