Will GPS modernization and improvements in GPS receivers and antennas reduce or even eliminate the need for correction services for most applications?
Julian Thomas, managing director, Racelogic
“For most applications, I think the answer is yes, the need for correction services will be reduced. When you can get <1m without external corrections, the majority of conventional accuracy requirements are fulfilled. However, increases in accuracy always open up new applications for GPS, so correction services will still be required.” — Julian Thomas
Racelogic
Miguel Amor, chief marketing officer, Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning Division
“Correction services will continue to be in demand for those markets and applications requiring precision and accuracy below a few inches, 2-3 sigma confidence levels and high reliability, availability and integrity. While ionospheric errors have been low in the past 15+ years, correction services will also provide ionospheric models beneficial in periods of higher activity. Even as there are improvements in user equipment and signal modernization, the demand for correction services will increase in line with these improvements and new functionalities to enable more markets and applications worldwide.” — Miguel Amor
Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning Division
PRECISION AGRICULTURE reduces inputs of seed, water, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel. (Photo: CHCNAV)
Precision agriculture refers to the ability of farmers to observe, measure and respond more precisely to the variability of soil and crop characteristics within and between fields by using maps of these characteristics and GNSS navigation. It enables them to reduce inputs of seed, water, fertilizer, pesticides and fuel while increasing outputs. Adoption of precision agriculture technology and practices has increased steadily over the past three decades and now covers the majority of U.S. farmland.
We asked three companies that manufacture GNSS receivers optimized for precision agriculture about their challenges and plans.
What are the key challenges for precise positioning in agriculture?
One of the main concerns is the impact of obstructions — both natural, such as tree canopy and topographies, and manmade, such as buildings, silos, etc. The mounting location of the GNSS antenna on an agricultural vehicle or implement can emphasize multipath effects and limit GNSS signal availability.
Our solution for these challenges is the use of a multi-frequency receiver. In this case, the increased number of tracked GNSS signals (from GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou), as provided by the latest Hemisphere GNSS technology used with the A631 Smart Antenna product, allows the receiver to overcome challenging conditions to ensure a stable and robust positioning solution. For example, if a tree line blocks a part of the sky at the headland of the field, it can be compensated for with additional satellite signals available outside of the blocked area, so that guidance, automated steering and application control are not interrupted. Dust and vibrations are not an issue for us due to the rugged design of the A631 GNSS Smart Antenna. However, depending upon the radio link used, long-distance RF communications for real-time kinematic (RTK) corrections can become a limiting factor. In this case, we often propose using RTK corrections over NTRIP or considering our Atlas L-band correction service for the as an RTK-like alternative.
What is the requirement for start-up time?
Although farmers spend hours in the field during the season, the planting and harvesting windows are limited; therefore, time is critical. The requirement from farmers is to be ready to go when they start their machine. During busy times in the season, farmers often leave their equipment in the field, so startup times may only be a few minutes. We meet this requirement with our startup times for SBAS and RTK corrections and the Atlas AutoSeed feature for L-band corrections. Atlas AutoSeed allows users to suspend Atlas use for any period of time, and upon returning to their last location, the Atlas system uses AutoSeed to rapidly reconverge to a high-accuracy converged position.
What is the accuracy requirement for planting?
Especially row crop planting over what we refer to as broad acre farming requires accuracy to within a few inches, which we offer with our Atlas H10 correction service. Depending upon the farming practices used (such as controlled traffic or inter-row applications), these demands are not only for accuracy, but also for repeatability of the positioning solution.
Another area that demands high accuracy is the production of specialty crops. Per our experience, this farming practice requires sub-inch accuracy and repeatability, which we meet with our RTK solutions.
What is the difference between Atlas and Atlas Basic?
We think of Atlas Basic as a global solution comparable to the different regional offerings for SBAS corrections in terms of accuracy. This means a radius 95% pass-to-pass (R95 P2P) accuracy of around 30 cm with absolute accuracy in the submeter area. We feel that this meets the “basic” needs for all precision agriculture applications.
If a customer is looking for higher accuracies, we offer the H30 and H10 Atlas Correction Services. For comparison, Atlas H30 provides R95 P2P accuracy of 15 cm, and H10 provides R95 P2P accuracy of 4 cm.
Besides your GNSS receivers and corrections services, what hardware, software and services do you provide for precision agriculture?
We announced our new MaveriX precision agriculture solution in September 2021. It uses our recognized A631 Smart Antenna and provides a complete precision agriculture solution combined with the M7 and M10 terminals, eDriveM1 steering controller, ESi2 electric steering wheel and AC110 application controller. The MaveriX precision agriculture application software, which runs on our MaveriX terminals, is the centerpiece of the system. The first production systems are being used by customers in North America this spring.
Ling Hu, Precision Agriculture Business Development Manager
What are the key challenges for precise positioning in agriculture?
Normally in the agricultural field, the environment is harsh (mud, slopes, shocks), which requires the system to be rated IP65 and above and vibration resistant. In some areas, the signal coverage of cellular phones may be insufficient. When that is the case, a UHF modem-type communication is more commonly used with a distance constraint related to the propagation of UHF signals, strongly related to the quality of the installation of the GNSS base station (height of the UHF antenna, gain, immediate environment of the station). Our NX510 SE overcomes that issue by integrating two communication modes, 4G and UHF.
CHCNAV’S GNSS RECEIVERS can be easily switched between tractors. (Photo: CHCNav)
Is planting the application that requires the highest accuracy? What accuracy can you consistently provide?
Certainly, planting requires the highest accuracy of 2.5 cm from pass to pass. With a stable GNSS RTK correction, centimeter accuracy can be provided reliably.
What is the requirement for startup time? What do you deliver?
The startup and initialization of the system should take as little time as possible and is usually done within 1 to 2 minutes from cold start. Farmers usually start their system when they drive the tractor out of the shed and are therefore ready to work as soon as they arrive in their field. Warm start (reacquisition + RTK fixed) is more important in case of obstacles or loss of the RTK correction used by the customer, when using the auto-steering/guidance system in the field. It is typically about 10 seconds.
Besides your GNSS receivers, do you provide any additional hardware, software or services (such as support and training) for precision agriculture?
Our NX510 autopilot kit consists of a receiver, display, motor, angle sensor, camera and accessories, so users can start working immediately without purchasing additional options.
In addition to automated steering systems, CHCNAV also provides complementary solutions that allow farms to be autonomous in terms of GNSS RTK corrections. These solutions consist of GNSS base stations with an integrated or external radio modem and GNSS NTRIP stations for connection over 4G. Individual GNSS stations can be networked using our CPS Net software, which can be operated by a group of farmers, agricultural cooperatives or tractor dealers. Training and user support is provided by our network of authorized agricultural resellers to ensure the closest possible service to our users.
Wang Xiaohui, Technical Director, Antenna Department
What are the key challenges for precise positioning in agriculture?
Obtaining accurate position information in real time requires real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning. There are many ways to obtain differential data. One is to establish a reference station and broadcast differential data through short-distance communication methods. This method’s disadvantage is the high cost of stations and the limited transmission distance. Another is to broadcast RTK data through an LTE network. This is convenient, but if the LTE signal coverage is poor, RTK positioning may not be achieved. A third method is to rely on satellite-based augmentation. This is independent of ground communication equipment, but has a relatively long convergence time and may be greatly affected by signal occultation.
Agricultural machinery must work in harsh environments, such as extreme heat, severe cold and strong vibrations. Consequently, the antenna must be enclosed in a robust housing with excellent protection to guarantee long-time outdoor work.
When agricultural machinery operates near densely packed and tall trees, positioning accuracy will be significantly affected. Limits on the size and cost of antennas for agricultural machinery prevent the use of choke-ring structures. Therefore, the key to achieving high-precision positioning lies in how to receive more satellite signals and avoid multipath interference in a small antenna size.
How can the antenna help with these challenges?
Harxon’s X-Survey antenna is highly integrated and multi-functional. It embeds antennas for GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIc, other regional systems and SBAS), 4G, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi 900M/2.4G radio, and other frequencies. The X-Survey enables users to choose the most appropriate way for them to acquire differential data — LTE, Wi-Fi, radio or SBAS — making high-precision positioning possible in most environments.
Harxon has designed many high-precision antennas with different structures for various application environments, including those that are waterproof and dustproof and those that can withstand very high and low temperatures and violent vibrations.
Additionally, Harxon’s antennas adopt unique cross-polarization suppression technology, with good circular polarization characteristics, providing effective suppression performance for multipath signals.
How does Harxon support TerraStar correction services?
Harxon’s TS112 PRO Smart Antenna provides reliable positioning solutions for agricultural automatic guidance. It can obtain RTK-level positioning information by receiving correction data from the embedded UHF radio or its GSM modem. Also, TS112 PRO embeds a Hexagon | NovAtel OEM GNSS module, and TerraStar multi-constellation corrections are available globally on this compatible module. TerraStar corrections are available as a termed subscription from Hexagon | NovAtel.
Interference-free GNSS signals are essential for more than just military vehicles and aircraft. Anti-jam systems usually suppress signals from interference sources by means of spatial filtering.
These solutions can likewise be used to protect satellite navigation signals for autonomous driving and flying against interference signals. To allow GNSS receivers to detect interference sources and suppress transmitted interference signals, they must be designed as multichannel systems.
This way the direction of the interference signal can be determined using phase-coherent signal processing of signals from multiple antennas, and the interference can be suppressed. Rohde & Schwarz offers a solution for the verification of interference immunity and interference suppression.
FIGURE 1a. The GNSS antenna in the example on the left has only one element, so its characteristic cannot be modified. A sufficiently strong interference signal can prevent the receiver from processing the GNSS signals, making satellite-based navigation impossible.FIGURE 1b. In contrast to the individual antenna, the characteristic of the antenna array can be modified by combining and weighting the received signals. The interference signal is suppressed at its angle of arrival, and the GNSS signals can be received. A disadvantage is that GNSS signals from the same direction as the interference signal are also suppressed.
Multi-channel receivers can simultaneously process signals from multiple distributed antennas or from an antenna array. This is useful for determining the direction of incoming signals by means of signal analysis, and for adjusting the antenna pattern so that undesired signals are suppressed. For GNSS-based position determination, this means that signals from global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) can be strengthened and jamming or spoofing signals originating from the ground or the air can be suppressed. Up to now this technology has primarily been used for military applications, but in the future it can also make an important contribution to robust navigation for autonomous driving or flying. Typical interference sources in this regard are harmonics of transmitters in the vicinity, tactical air navigation (TACAN) signals, DME air navigation signals for civil aviation, and LTE signals. Another factor is the growing popularity of so-called personal privacy devices (PPD), which are GNSS jammers that radiate narrowband or broadband signals to disrupt GNSS localization. A new solution from Rohde & Schwarz enables comprehensive testing of the resistance of GNSS receivers to interference signals, if necessary in a realistic hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environment.
Multi-Channel GNSS Receivers for Interference Suppression
GNSS receivers often use controlled reception pattern antennas (CRPA) to suppress undesired signals. These antennas consist of an antenna array and a signal processing unit. The connected antennas are generally arranged in a strict geometric pattern to achieve full coverage of all possible signal directions. The overall receive characteristic of the antenna array can be altered by suitable weighting of the signals from the individual antennas in the signal processing unit (Fig. 1). This way, interference signals can be specifically blanked out (nulling) or the required GNSS signals can be amplified at their angle of arrival (beamforming). A combination of these two methods is also possible. The antenna arrays typically consist of four to seven elements. The number of interference signals that can be simultaneously suppressed increases with the number of elements.
FIGURE 2a. A four-channel GNSS test system consisting of two R&S SMW200A vector signal generators and an R&S SMA100B analog signal generator for the LO signal (left). The vector network analyzer is used to calibrate the overall system at a user-selectable reference plane in terms of amplitude, phase and propagation time.FIGURE 2b. A four-channel GNSS test system consisting of two R&S SMW200A vector signal generators and an R&S SMA100B analog signal generator for the LO signal (left). The vector network analyzer is used to calibrate the overall system at a user-selectable reference plane in terms of amplitude, phase and propagation time.
Test System Requirements
Rohde & Schwarz offers a test system for GNSS receivers that use CRPAs. First, it acts as a multichannel GNSS simulator that considers all aspects of a satellite navigation system. It must be able to generate the signals of all standard satellite navigation systems in all GNSS frequency bands, with attention to correct satellite orbits, signal propagation characteristics and realistic modeling of the dynamically changing receive environment. Configuration of the antenna array in terms of geometry and the receive characteristics of the individual antennas also must be included.
Simulating the Interference Signals
Second, the system can simultaneously generate jamming or spoofing signals in order to test the interference suppression functions of the device under test (DUT). A second, identical test system is necessary for freely definable configuration of interference sources with very high transmit power. Here the R&S Pulse Sequencer software assists in the definition of complex interference scenarios. The scenarios cover requirements such as long simulation times, moving interference sources and GNSS receivers, user-defined antenna patterns and antenna scans. In addition, the software calculates the correct amplitude, phase angle and propagation time of the signals as a function of signal frequency, antenna arrangement, and the positions of transmitters and receivers in three-dimensional space for each individual antenna element. Signal generation is handled by the R&S SMW200A high-end vector signal generator.
For the tests, the required GNSS signal as well as the unwanted interference signals must be generated for each antenna input of the GNSS receiver. In order to test a CRPA receiver with four antenna inputs, this means that four signal sources are needed to generate the GNSS signals and an additional four signal sources are needed to generate the interference signals. Fig. 2 shows a pair of test systems that can be used to generate coupled GNSS signals and interference signals for a four-channel CRPA receiver.
Calibration Against the DUT
In order to correctly simulate the directions of the satellite signals and the interference signals, the test systems must be calibrated at the RF interface to the DUT with regard to amplitude, phase and propagation time. This means that the amplitude, phase and propagation time differences between the individual RF paths, resulting for example from cables or RF components, must be compensated. The vector signal generators of each system are phase coherently linked using suitable synchronization. A high-end R&S SMA100B analog signal generator in each system provides the shared LO signal.
Using the R&S RF Ports alignment software, the complete system can be calibrated at any desired reference plane with regard to amplitude, phase and propagation time, so that the properties of the test system do not corrupt the simulated signal differences between the individual antennas. The required measurements are performed with a vector network analyzer.
It is not necessary to calibrate the two test systems relative to each other. For the simulation of realistic scenarios, it is sufficient to run the GNSS and interference source simulations at the same time, since in the real world there is usually no correlation between GNSS satellites and interference sources.
FIGURE 3. Aircraft with a multichannel radar warning system consisting of multiple receive channels, a central processing unit and a display.
Integration in an HIL Environment
The GNSS test system also can be embedded in a hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) environment. In this case a computer streams the motion profile of the GNSS receiver under test, with position, speed, acceleration and vehicle attitude, to the test system at a high data rate. The test system then generates the corresponding satellite navigation signal in real time. This requires very high update rates and low latencies.
Summary
Multichannel GNSS CRPA receivers considerably improve the navigation of ground vehicles and aircraft of all kinds. With the new Rohde & Schwarz test system, realistic multi-channel test signals can be generated for both GNSS simulation and interference simulation. For tests in an HIL environment, motion data also can be streamed to the GNSS test system.
Plus: UAVs in Ukraine, vineyard protection and a royally awesome light show
Taser-equipped drones
We hear of mass shootings in schools, and this week on a crowded street in Philadelphia a school adviser was among those killed. Everyone continues to be outraged, but as we wait for any sort of positive, preventive action by our leaders, an idea from a drone developer was shut down before it even got out of the company.
Axon taser drone concept. (Photo: Axon)
Axon Air supplies Tasers and body cameras to police forces, and last year someone came up with the idea of loading a drone with a Taser so that it could find and suppress a gunman in a school. There are a lot of problems with the idea, and Axon’s own internal artificial-intelligence board nixed the idea.
Doors were the board’s primary concern. What happens if something triggers a drone to Taser kids in the classroom or hallway? Could autonomous drones or even multiple intelligent cameras detect an actual weapon of any description, and set off an automated response?
We use metal detectors on entry to some schools to deter carrying weapons to class, but how about recognizing carried weapons in the school? To even attempt an automated drone response, you would need multiple Taser-equipped drones in all areas of a school, as well as time to test and verify that any autonomous response would work correctly.
Could anything along these lines be something we might consider in any way?
Keeping watch at vineyards
A team at Washington State University (WSU) has come up with a new twist on an old idea. Hawks have been trained effectively in the past to chase off flocks of birds on or around runways at airports or to protect crops. Now WSU has developed a system that uses intelligent cameras to detect birds, and which is then able to dispatch drones to the invaded area to chase off the birds.
The system has been tested to protect local grapevines. Bird fruit losses were actually reduced by ~50% following manual drone flights, which also reduced the number of bird invaders four-fold.
Manually flown drone patrols over vineyard. (Photo: WSU Agricultural Automation and Robotics Lab)
Nevertheless, birds can learn over time how to get round such deterrence, so WSU proposes disguising drones as predator birds and arming them with distress calls or raptor-attack behavior. WSU is looking for wine-industry support to develop this approach into a feasible, deployable solution.
Grey Eagles might fly in Ukraine
The United States is considering providing Grey Eagle UAVs (the Army version of the Predator) to Ukraine — the first time a relatively high-tech drone with weapon-carrying capability would be supplied for the Ukrainian conflict.
The Grey Eagle can carry up to eight hellfire missiles, fly for 30 hours at relatively high altitude, and gather masses of surveillance information — a formidable, front-line weapon/reconnaissance system. Four UAVs are envisaged; missiles would not be included in the first round, but would likely come soon after.
Grey Eagle drone (Photo: General Atomics)
Th Grey Eagle UAV system usually requires months of advanced training, but the Ukrainian forces have already been operating the smaller missile-carrying Turkish Bayraktar-TB2, so training may be reduced to a few weeks for operational necessity. Meanwhile, the sale must first be approved by Congress, so nothing is yet certain.
Officials with a donated TB2 drone. (Photo: Baykar)
Before the war with Russia, Ukraine purchased up to 30 TB2 drone systems, and many have seen action in the current conflict. A crowdfunding effort by a TV station in Lithuania gathered enough cash to buy yet another TB2 to help Ukrainian forces stay in the fight.
However, Baykar, the Turkish manufacturer, declined the sale, instead offering to donate a TB-2 so that the Lithuanian funding could go toward humanitarian aid for the Ukrainian people.
Meanwhile, in Estonia the Internal Security Service (KAPO) arrested a man leaving the country who is suspected of supplying commercial drones to the Russian forces.
Photo: Platinum Jubilee Committee
Honoring the Queen
Finally — on a much lighter, respectful note — a drone light show was a big hit over Buckingham Palace in London on the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee concert for Queen Elizabeth II.
The queen has been on the United Kingdom’s throne for 70 years. To celebrate, the Brits hosted a major shindig. As part of a concert held outside Buckingham Palace, 400 lightshow drones from SkyMagic flew above the palace. The drones created various designs, showing the message “Thank you, ma’am”, a Corgi, a handbag, a teapot pouring into a teacup, guards in busbies, and a figurehead postage stamp — all good fun received in good spirit by a huge milling crowd.
Food for thought
To sum up, maybe it’s not such a good idea to have drones equipped with Tasers in schools, but perhaps it’s an idea we could build on to better protect our kids.
Trained, autonomous drones that take off and chase birds when they descend on vineyards — could this be a better solution than low-slung netting?
The war in Ukraine rages on. Not only the West, but also some Eastern countries pitch in with support.
Finally we saw a drone light show for the queen during the Jubilee celebration of her 70 years reign. We’re seeing a lot of smart drone potential out there.
Collins Aerospace has introduced NavHub-200M, a vehicle navigation system for the international market compatible with military code (M-code) receiver technology. The NavHub-200M is not controlled by the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).
Collins Aerospace made the announcement at Eursatory 2022, taking place June 13-17 in Parsis.
NavHub-200M’s message formats and signal modulation techniques ensure faster and more accurate performance for ground vehicles on the connected battlespace, the company said.
NavHub-200M provides assured positioning, navigation and timing (APNT) capabilities while improving overall resistance to existing and emerging threats to GPS, such as jamming and spoofing.
“With GPS-based Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) receivers set to become obsolete, it is critical that M-Code receiver technology is made available to ground forces around the world as quickly as possible so they can trust that the signals they receive in a fast-moving, hostile environment are accurate and actionable,” said Ryan Bunge, vice president and general manager, Communication, Navigation and Guidance Solutions for Collins Aerospace. “Our NavHub-200M provides an improved resistance to jamming and interference, as well as advanced security features to prevent unauthorized access or exploitation.”
NavHub-200M also includes the open interface standards and sensor-fusion capabilities required for a GNSS upgrade path, such as that for Europe’s Galileo constellation, as well as the ability to interface with key vehicle sensors such as the inertial measurement unit (IMU) and odometer, among others.
Collins, a leader in APNT solutions for ground platforms, has delivered more than 10,000 navigation systems to military armed forced around the world.
Attendees at Eurosatory can learn more by visiting Collins Aerospace at booth number C523.
Amazon customers in Lockeford, California, will be among the first to receive Prime Air drone deliveries in the United States, later this year. According to an Amazon blog, the company has been working for almost a decade to make it a reality.
Customers in Lockeford will see Prime Air-eligible items on Amazon. They will place an order as usual and receive an estimated arrival time with a status tracker for their order. For these deliveries, the drone will fly to the designated delivery location, descend to the customer’s backyard, and hover at a safe height. It will then safely release the package and rise back up to altitude.
Customer feedback about Prime Air, with drones delivering packages in their backyards, will help Amazon create a service that will safely scale to meet the needs of customers everywhere, according to the company.
“Lockeford residents will soon have access to one of the world’s leading delivery innovations,” said California State Assemblyman Heath Flora, whose district includes Lockeford. “It’s exciting that Amazon will be listening to the feedback of the San Joaquin County community to inform the future development of this technology.”
“We are working with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local officials in Lockeford to obtain permission to conduct these deliveries and will continue with that collaboration into the future,” the blog said.
Amazon designed its drones’ sense-and-avoid system for two main scenarios: to be safe when in transit, and to be safe when approaching the ground. Its algorithms use a diverse suite of technologies for object detection, enabling it to identify a static object in its path, such as a chimney. It can also detect moving objects on the horizon, such as other aircraft, even when it’s hard for people to see them.
When obstacles are identified, the Amazon Prime drone will automatically change course to safely avoid them. As the drone descends to deliver a package into a customer’s backyard, it ensures that there’s a small area around the delivery location that is clear of people, animals or other obstacles.
Prime Air is one of three drone-delivery companies that has gone through the rigorous process to earn an FAA air carrier certificate, which will be required to operate drones using these advanced capabilities.
The company is engaged in trials with customers in mapping, surveying, robotics, construction, trucking, defense, aerospace and autonomous vehicle applications
Anello Photonics has made available an optical gyroscope and GNSS/inertial navigation system (INS) evaluation kit (EVK) for autonomous applications.
Powered by Anello’s optical gyroscope solution and sensor-fusion engine, the Anello EVK can maintain centimeter accuracy in conditions where far more expensive ground-truth positioning and localization systems degrade.
The Anello EVK is accurate in extended full GNSS-denied operation and is stable over wide temperature ranges and under extreme vibration.
“We are actively engaged with many customers to drive new technology adoption and explore how by providing high precision, highly scalable, optical gyro-based solutions we can accelerate and improve position accuracy for a wide range of autonomous use cases,” said Mario Paniccia, CEO of Anello Photonics. “We see a lot of interest around our unique and innovative integrated silicon photonics technology and our product roadmap, and are excited to be working with many industry leaders looking for cutting-edge innovation.”
The Anello EVK is designed to be easy to use while enabling seamless navigation and positioning in challenging GNSS-denied environments where accuracy is paramount.
“Anello’s optical gyroscope solution is perfect for our offerings due to its performance compared to other MEMS solutions currently available and used by the industry. The Anello solution provides ease of installation together with high accuracy and reliability,” said Sean Kish, CEO of Psionic. “Through our work with Anello, we’re seeing significant improvements in the performance of our SurePath product for long-range precision navigation in GNSS-denied environments.”
The Edge 1040 Solar has breakthrough solar charging and multi-band GNSS technology
Garmin International has announced the Edge 1040 Solar, a GPS-based bike computer featuring solar charging and multi-band GNSS technology.
Photo: Garmin
The Edge 1040 has a Power Glass-branded solar charging lens, giving cyclists more ride time between charges – up to 100 hours in battery saver mode – while multi-band GNSS technology provides more accurate positioning in challenging ride environments, such as dense urban areas or under deep tree cover.
The 3.5-inch touchscreen also features a refreshed, modernized user experience, giving cyclists easier access to key information, the ability to customize the home page and an improved ride summary view.
Its innovative advancements include:
Solar charging: The Power Glass solar charging lens extends battery life to up to 100 hours in battery saver mode, giving cyclists an additional 42 minutes per hour during daytime riding.
Multi-band GNSS technology: Provides better positional accuracy and coverage, even in challenging environments.
Cycling ability and course demands: The device can classify a cyclist’s strengths and weaknesses, focus on improvement and prepare for the demands of a specific course.
Power guide: Recommended power targets make it easier to manage efforts throughout a course.
Real-time stamina insights: Cyclists can monitor and track exertion levels in real-time during a ride.
Simple setup: Custom ride profiles prepopulate based on previous Edge data, ride types and sensors. From there, cycling activity profiles can be managed directly on a compatible smartphone from the Garmin Connect smart device app.
The tests will assess whether UKSBAS can develop into a full operational capability to support safety-critical applications
Artist’s impression of an Inmarsat-3 satellite. (Image: Inmarsat)
An Inmarsat-led team of companies in the United Kingdom has begun broadcasting a satellite navigation signal as part of a program to explore the creation of a sovereign national capability in resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) for the aviation and maritime sectors.
The signal, being broadcast in coordination with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA), is now stable and operational, enabling ongoing testing and validation by industry, regulators and users.
Inmarsat, a satellite communications company, alongside British partners Goonhilly Earth Station and GMV NSL, is delivering the UK Space Agency-funded tests with the European Space Agency via ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP).
The UK Space-Based Augmentation System (UKSBAS) generates an overlay test signal to the U.S. GPS, compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, to enable assessment of more precise, resilient and high-integrity navigation for maritime and aviation users in UK waters and airspace. It increases accuracy in positioning to a few centimeters of accuracy rather than the few meters provided by standard GPS.
This is a similar system to that already under evaluation in Australia and New Zealand, supported by Inmarsat.
Since leaving the European Union, the UK is not part of the Galileo satnav system and cannot use the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) safety of life (SOL) services, which enable the use of GPS for airport approach and landing operations for aircraft. The UK ceased to have access to EGNOS on June 25, 2021.
By repurposing the SBAS transponder on Inmarsat’s I-3 F5 satellite in geostationary orbit at 54° west, the UKSBAS signal enables testing of this potential alternative system. Built by Inmarsat’s Athena partner Lockheed Martin and launched in 1998, I-3 F5 covers the UK as part of its Atlantic Ocean region service overlay. This makes it a suitable candidate to participate in this test and demonstrates the commitment to sustainability of Inmarsat with a satellite that has already served the equivalent of several low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite life cycles.
“The Inmarsat team is inspired by delivering solutions to new problems through technology and innovation,” said Todd McDonell, president, Global Government at Inmarsat. “Repurposing a transponder on a long-serving satellite to deliver a new capability to the UK, potentially a vital and enduring one, certainly lives up to that core Inmarsat ethos. Working with our fellow British companies at Goonhilly and GMVNSL to deliver such a capability for the country is very rewarding, and we look forward to reporting on the results.”
The tests will assess whether UKSBAS can develop into a full operational capability to support safety-critical applications such as airport approach and landing operations or navigating ships through narrow channels, especially at night and in poor weather conditions.
Goonhilly provides the signal uplink for the system from Cornwall; software from Nottingham-based GMVNSL generates the necessary navigational data.
“The UK’s thriving space sector is developing at pace, and British-led innovations like this have the potential to deliver crucial navigation services for our aviation and maritime sectors.” said Transport Minister Robert Courts. “That’s why this government is investing millions in new technologies to make our transport network even safer while boosting high-skilled job opportunities across the nation.”
UKSBAS is helping to regenerate UK strategic capabilities in this domain. The establishment of this new national platform creates the opportunity to evaluate high-integrity, resilient and precise navigation across the country, in its airspace and within surrounding waters. The project may be crucial for UK users who need accurate, high-integrity navigation capabilities to enable their operations, initially covering aviation and maritime operations but with potential extension into rail and road applications.
“Congratulations to Inmarsat, Goonhilly and GMVNSL on this impressive achievement,” said Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency. “In recent years, the UK Space Agency has invested in the development of UK expertise in positioning, navigation and timing (PNT), and the government’s commitment to strengthening PNT resilience is set out in both the National Space Strategy and Integrated Review, given its importance to our critical national infrastructure and economy. “This project is a great example of the innovation found throughout the UK space sector and demonstrates how we can work effectively with the European Space Agency to strengthen our national space capabilities.”
In a world where GPS and other GNSS signals can be easily denied or, worse, spoofed, interest in other forms of navigation has rebounded.
Imagine being able to locate yourself within a couple of centimeters with just your cellphone – deep underground. Or inside a metal structure. Or underwater (assuming you can keep your equipment dry).
No satellite signals, no Wi-Fi ranging, no inertial system. Just the ambient magnetic flux that constantly surrounds us all. Everywhere.
Animals have used the Earth’s magnetic field to find their way for millions of years. People have been using magnetic compasses for over a thousand. Until the advent of GPS, magnetic compasses were foundational tools for aircraft and ship navigation, especially when out of sight of easily recognized landmarks.
Then GPS came along, and almost everyone’s eyes turned to space.
But in a world where GPS and other GNSS signals can be easily denied or, worse, spoofed, interest in other forms of navigation has rebounded. And because GPS helped demonstrate the efficiencies geospatial services provide, users also want those services to be more resilient and to work in places signals from space just can’t reach.
According to Neill, “Our solution builds upon inexpensive magnetometers, smartphones, machine learning, edge computing, and some incredibly complex math to convert raw magnetic data into a source of ultra-precise location data. These relatively recent tech developments allow us to bring things together for a major update to a centuries-old way of navigation and positioning.”
Describing AstraNav as a software tech company, Neill said that the company’s system is “hardware agnostic.” It can work on “just about anything that has a magnetometer. No additional hardware or external connectivity is required, and we can run on any existing operating system.”
The company has partners in retail, automotive and telecom validating the technology. They have also been working with a U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) combatant commander to demonstrate the product, as well as Virginia Tech and its National Security Institute (VTNSI.) “This is not a case of ‘here’s an idea that we hope will materialize,” said Neill. Describing two real-world trials and use cases to the board, he said, “This technology is a reality, and we’re doing it.”
Most previous magnetic navigation efforts relied upon relatively low-resolution maps. An airplane could find its way safely across the ocean using the maps that were available and likely end up within a mile or two of an airport. Much higher resolution maps built through surveys and artificial intelligence are critical to AstraNav’s centimeter-level accuracy with systems that continue to learn on their own.
Intellectual property is AstraNav’s biggest asset. “We have multiple patents filed and pending,” said Neill. “Our IP is what allows us to sense and analyze magnetic fields so finely, develop maps, and make use of very low-cost magnetometers, such as the ones in cell phones.”
Several people at the advisory board presentation expressed surprise that they had not heard of the company and this capability before. “We have been busy getting established as a company, supporting our first commercial clients, and doing demonstrations for various folks within DOD,” Neill explained. “This presentation is by way of our coming out party. We are very eager to become better known and are looking forward to explaining our capabilities one-on-one with potential users.”
Citing an abundance of proprietary material, Neill was unwilling to discuss a lot of technical detail at the public meeting. His short presentation, he said, was to raise awareness and stimulate interest.
The number of those in attendance who after the presentation said they were eager to learn more showed that he was successful.
Dana A. Goward is President of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation
Featuring the full gamut of u-blox technologies and services, the XPLR-IOT-1 enables end-to-end proofs of concepts for IoT products and applications
The u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 IoT explorer kit. (Image: u-blox)
U-blox has announced the u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 IoT explorer kit, an all-in-one package to test, evaluate and validate applications for the internet of things (IoT).
The board hosts an ultra-low-power MAX-M10S positioning module capable of concurrently tracking four GNSS constellations, delivering highly reliable location data wherever GNSS coverage is available.
Integrating all relevant u-blox technologies and services into a capable prototyping platform with a vast selection of sensors and interfaces as well as cloud connectivity, XPLR-IOT-1 makes it easier to explore the potential of IoT applications.
The increasing complexity of IoT devices, which often require satellite-based positioning, Bluetooth low energy, Wi-Fi, and cellular connectivity via, for example, LTE-M is raising the importance of prototyping and validating ideas before bringing them to production. This trend is driving demand for multifunctional application boards like the u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 over evaluation kits (EVKs), intended to comprehensively test a product’s entire feature set.
Prototyping platform
The XPLR-IOT-1 gives users everything they need to prototype low-power IoT use cases such as logistics container trackers, industrial automation, sensor-to-cloud applications, and fleet management solutions. Besides the MAX-M10S positioning module, the board has a u-blox NORA-B106 Bluetooth LE 5.2 radio module that doubles as its main MCU, hosting the application software and controlling the other modules.
Other modules include a u-blox SARA-R510S for LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular connectivity with built-in cloud security, as well as a u-blox NINA-W156 for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.
The hardware is complemented by a broad selection of sensors commonly used in IoT applications, including accelerometers and gyroscopes, a magnetometer, and temperature, humidity, pressure and ambient light sensors. A power-on switch, LEDs and user buttons make it easy for users to interact with the device.
The NORA-B106’s powerful Arm Cortex M33 MCU is solely dedicated to running the application software. Clocked at 128 MHz, with 1 MB of embedded flash and 512 kB of RAM, and 8 MB of external flash memory, it offers a solid foundation for development of highly capable solutions.
Integrated antennas for featured technologies, a USB interface and USB charging, a Sparkfun Qwiic I2C connector, and a debug interface contribute to a smooth product development experience, u-blox said.
Native support for u-blox services
The XPLR-IOT-1 offers engineers an easy way to start working with u-blox’s services offering. Included with the kit is a trial of MQTT Anywhere, which delivers ultra-low power by communicating data between the device and the enterprise using the MQTT-SN (MQTT for sensor networks) protocol.
Tracking applications with the most stringent power requirements such as freight container trackers can realize four times longer battery life with u-blox’s positioning in cloud service, CloudLocate, while the CellLocate mobile-network-based location service extends tracking beyond the reach of GNSS signals.
A starting point for commercial end-products
Developers working with XPLR-IOT-1 can use code from u-blox’s ubxlib GitHub repository, a library of software examples for key use cases, to speed up the prototyping of solutions, which can range from wireless sensor networks to indoor and outdoor tracking solutions to industrial or smart building gateways.
Because all hardware design files, software, smartphone app, and online dashboard source code are shared, the XPLR-IOT-1 can also serve as a starting point for commercial end-product design.
“The XPLR-IOT-1 is fully geared towards rapid development, testing, and validation of IoT solutions,” said Pelle Svensson, senior principal, Product Strategy Short Range Radio, u-blox. “Offering a single platform to develop a variety of IoT use cases, the versatile explorer kit reduces the expertise required for hardware, software, and service integration and code development.”
Once launched in June 2022, the XPLR-IOT-1 will initially be sold via Digi-Key.
The NAVCEN website upgrade and redesign is now live.
“This is an exciting moment for our team,” said Stephanie Southwick, NAVCEN web team. “Thank you again for your patience as we move forth with this transition to improve user experience and to provide the public with timely and reliable maritime safety information.”
As a reminder, while the primary URL will stay the same, all sub-URLs have changed with the transition. Use of any bookmarked legacy URLs will result in broken links, including PDFs and URLs used in automatic downloading of data and products. “We appreciate your patience in re-bookmarking your favorite pages when we update the site,” Southwick said.
The NAVCEN outreach team will work with users to ensure transition to using the redesigned site is as seamless as possible. Communicate with the team at[email protected] with questions or to request additional information.
For more information on the changes, visit this page.
