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New receiver provides a path to the security and performance benefits of dual-band technology

U-blox has announced a new, compact dual-band timing module that offers nanosecond-level timing accuracy, thereby meeting the stringent timing requirements for 5G communications.

The new u-blox NEO-F10T is compliant with the u-blox NEO form factor (12.2 mm x 16 mm), allowing space-constrained designs to be realized without the need to compromise on size.

The NEO-F10T is the successor to the NEO-M8T module, providing an easy upgrade path to dual-band timing technology. This allows NEO-M8T users to access nanosecond-level timing accuracy and enhanced security.

U-blox’s dual-band technology mitigates ionospheric errors and greatly reduces timing error, without the need of an external GNSS correction service. Additionally, when within the operational area of a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), the NEO-F10T offers the possibility to improve the timing performance by using the ionospheric corrections provided by the SBAS system.

As the NEO-F10T supports all four global satellite constellations and L1/L5/E5a configuration, it significantly simplifies global deployments because the same device can be used universally.

NEO-F10T includes advanced security features such as secure boot, secure interfaces, configuration lock and T-RAIM to provide the highest-level timing integrity. This ensures that reliable, uninterrupted service is delivered as any attempt to interfere with the receiver is unlikely to be successful. Additionally, advanced anti-jamming and anti-spoofing algorithms are included to further enhance security.

The module has a single RF input for all the GNSS bands and dual SAW filters for exceptional signal selectivity and out-of-band attenuation. It is compatible with u-blox’s ANN-MB1 L1/L5 multi-band antenna, making it simple to evaluate the performance of the timing modules. The devices operate from a single 2.7 V to 3.6 V supply and draw just 19 mA (@ 3.0 V) during continuous operation.

“NEO-F10T is designed to meet the timing synchronization requirements in 5G small cells and private networks on a global scale. By significantly reducing the time error of cellular network synchronization, the NEO‑F10T module will help operators maximize the performance of their networks and so optimize the return on their investment in 5G communications,” said Samuli Pietila, Director Product Line Management, Timing and Infrastructure, at u-blox.

Cepton Inc. is working with LidarSwiss Solutions GmbH to deploy its lidar technology in a drone-based mapping and analytics solution for infrastructure management and engineering design applications.

Cepton is a Silicon Valley innovator of high-performance lidar solutions. LidarSwiss is a Switzerland-based provider of high-performance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) lidar solutions.

Utilizing Cepton’s Sora lidar sensor, the LidarSwiss Nano P60 system provides high-fidelity mapping and real-time processing on the fly to serve engineers, forestry managers and urban planners across the globe. To date, Nano P60 has been used to map and analyze powerlines, areas for site development, flood plains and highways in more than 20 cities in Asia, Europe and Australia.

Nano P60 integrates Cepton’s Sora sensor with a high-precision IMU/GNSS unit from Applanix and high-resolution camera system. Its intelligent controller with LidarSwiss proprietary software automatically combines all raw data to generate high-density, high-precision RGB attributed 3D laser point clouds during flight.

With a total weight of 2.1 kg, this compact system can be mounted on small UAVs to produce mapping products such as digital orthophotos, digital elevation models and 3D models, or to interface with a third-party software to enable easy, seamless solutions for all kinds of industry applications, such as digital twins, smart cities and building information modeling (BIM).

“The prominent features of the Nano P60 are its high stability, point density and intelligence,” said Robert Kletzli, LidarSwiss founder and CTO. “This lidar-enabled system addresses the critical gap of 3D accuracy with traditional camera and stereo imaging technologies. Now, instead of needing two images to see a single point and detect its elevation, Nano P60 utilizes lidar’s intrinsic 3D imaging capabilities to achieve maximized efficiency, making real-time processing and analytics possible. Cepton’s Sora lidar is among the most compact, lightweight lidar sensors that we have tested and offers an unparalleled combination of high resolution, longer range in the same category and cost efficiency. Its unique lidar architecture allows seamless integration, making Nano P60 a true plug-and-play system with solid-state reliability.”

“We are proud to be supporting LidarSwiss and its customers with our lidar technology to unlock applications such as 3D modeling for BIM, historical site mapping, terrain modeling for heavy vegetation areas, volumetric calculations for mining, power line inspection and forestry mapping,” said Klaus Wagner, director of Product Management and Marketing at Cepton. “Our Sora lidar is a one-of-a-kind line scanner that combines high frame rate and long range. Powered by Cepton’s proprietary lidar technologies, it is compact, lightweight and rotation-free, making it ideal for small UAV applications.”

Lantronix Inc. has launched its new PNT Series GNSS receiver modules. The embedded modules provide an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution to enable the addition of GNSS functionality to products, Lantronix said, supporting the internet of things (IoT).

The new PNT Series modules are suitable for use in consumer solutions including people, pet and asset tracking devices, as well as agriculture asset monitoring and commercial solutions such as drones, toll-road charging, fleet management, maritime, rail, critical infrastructure and utilities.

“With the addition of the GNSS receiver modules, Lantronix is expanding its embedded IoT family to meet the growing demand for GNSS capabilities in a wide range of essential, often critical, consumer and commercial applications,” said Brian Jaroszewski, lead product line manager at Lantronix. “Adding positioning and tracking, navigation and timing capabilities supports essential processes in many industries, empowering our customers to propel our world forward with enhanced safety, security and the increased ability to more effectively and remotely manage people, places and things.”

According to the European Union Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), by 2031 more than 10 billion GNSS devices will be in use across the world. Mass-market segments — consumer solutions, tourism and health — will contribute to 92 percent of all devices in use. The global GNSS downstream market revenues, covering both device sales and service-related revenues, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.2 percent over the next decade, reaching a total of USD $486 billion by 2031.

Available in Two Models

Lantronix PNT-SG3FS

Available now, the PNT-SG3FS flash-based module is designed for simultaneous tracking of multiple constellations. The PNT-SG3FS standalone module integrates a Teseo III receiver from STMicroelectronics.

The single-frequency receiver can track up to 32 satellite signals in view across GPS L1C/A, BeiDou B1, Galileo E1B/C, GLONASS L1OF, SBAS L1C/A (WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS, GAGAN) and QZSS L1C/A bands. The pin-compatible multi-frequency PNT-SG4FM adds support for GPS and QZSS L5C, BeiDou B2a and Galileo E5a bands.

The PNT-SG3FS module supports Differential GPS (DGPS) data according to RTCM 10402.3 for improving location accuracy. The module can output measurement data (carrier phase) supporting PPP-RTK host algorithms for precise positioning applications with a custom firmware and supports 1.8V or 3.3V power supply domains. Assisted GNSS algorithms support extended ephemeris data using local autonomous or server-assisted-based solutions for fast time to first fix (TTFF) operation.

The module provides a high stability pulse-per-second (PPS) output for time-synchronization for electricity transmission, telecom networks operation and timestamping of financial transactions as well as application uses in utility systems, scientific applications, IoT and in broadcast and datacom networks.

The PNT-SG3FS integrates 16MB flash memory that supports many capabilities, including data logging, geofencing, odometer, five-day autonomous assisted GNSS and firmware updates. Integrated is a temperature-compensated crystal oscillator (TXCO) for navigation performance and stability. Also included is a real-time clock (RTC) oscillator with a clock-trimming feature to compensate for the accuracy of the 32.768 kHz crystal in timing applications.

Lantronix PNT-SG4FM

Coming soon, the PNT-SG4FM is a pin-compatible flash-based module designed for multi-frequency GNSS deployments. The PNT-SG4FM is ready for IRNSS using a custom firmware build. The PNT-SG4FM relies solely on server-assisted-based assisted GNSS. In addition, the PNT-SG4FM has a built-in LNA and SAW filter and features short and open circuit detection functions for antenna status.

News from the European Space Agency (ESA)

Satellite navigation is headed closer to users. ESA’s Navigation Directorate is planning an in-orbit demonstration with new navigation satellites that will orbit just a few hundred kilometers in space, supplementing Europe’s 23,222-km-distant Galileo satellites.

Operating added-value signals, these novel low-Earth-orbit (LEO) positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) satellites will investigate a new multi-layer satnav system-of-systems approach to deliver seamless PNT services that are much more accurate, robust and available everywhere.

Global in coverage, free for everyone to use, GNSS such as Europe’s Galileo have already transformed our society, and due to their sheer omnipresence their influence continues to grow. In 2021, the population of satnav receivers reached 6.5 billion around the world, and the sector is projected to maintain a 10% annual growth rate in the years ahead. But in various respects the standard GNSS approach is nearing the limits of optimum performance — to get even better, added ingredients are becoming essential.

“Satellite navigation has enabled a vast range of applications in recent years, but this very success is inspiring still more demanding user needs for the coming decade,” said Lionel Ries, head of ESA’s GNSS Evolutions R&D team, overseeing the agency’s LEO-PNT studies.

“For use cases such as autonomous vehicles, ships or drones, robotics, smart cities or the industrial internet of things for control of factory systems, the positioning requirements are growing from the current metre-scale to centimetre scale or even more precise, based on continuously reliable signals that are available anywhere, anytime — even indoors —while able to overcome interference or jamming.

“Up until now we have relied for positioning on the classical solution of GNSS such as Galileo, located in medium Earth orbit and based on L-band signals. Standard GNSS alone is not going to be able to fulfil all these future user demands. Instead Europe needs to seize the opportunity to investigate the potential of the kind of LEO constellations that are already on the way in the global market to enable new kinds of PNT services.”

Simply by virtue of physics, with less of a distance to cover down to Earth, the signals from these LEO-PNT satellites can be more powerful, able to overcome interference and reach places where today’s satnav signals cannot reach.

Additionally, by adopting novel navigation techniques and a wider range of signal bands the satellites can address particular user needs: for instance at lower orbits the satellites themselves move more rapidly relative to Earth’s surface — think of the International Space Station at 400 km that orbits the Earth every 90 minutes — which offers possible advantage in the time needed to reach very accurate positions. Also some bands could offer greater penetration in difficult environments while other bands could offer higher robustness and precision.

The purpose of ESA’s plan to perform an in-orbit demonstration of low Earth orbiting satnav satellites is precisely to consolidate the types of signals, enabling technologies and their potential for future services.

The plan is to build and fly an initial mini-constellation of at least half a dozen satellites to test capabilities and key technologies, as well as demonstrating signals and frequency bands for use by a follow-on operational constellation, in the same way that Europe’s GIOVE test satellites paved the way for Galileo. Success will place European industry in pole positions for follow-on commercial undertakings, as well as planned institutional programs.

“Each individual satellite would be comparatively small, below 70 kg in mass, compared to a 700 kg current Galileo operational satellite,” added Roberto Prieto-Cerdeira, Galileo Second Generation satellite payload manager and LEO-PNT project preparation manager as part of ESA’s FutureNAV program.

“They can be comparatively more streamlined because they can benefit from other means to calculate the accurate time without extremely precise atomic clocks on board — including relayed signals from the Galileo satellites above them. These satellites would also be built on a rapid batch production basis to save time and cost — we are targeting three years at the most from signing the contracts to the first satellites in orbit, the same kind of timescale achieved by GIOVE-A in the early 2000s.”

“It is ESA’s ambition to ensure Europe maintains a world-class space industry, and navigation today forms the single largest downstream space sector, worth about €150 billion annually and growing at the rate of 10% per year,” said ESA Director of Navigation Javier Benedicto-Ruiz. “Standing still is not an option; instead we need to explore new technical avenues to spur European competitiveness and commercialization.”

An operational version of the LEO-PNT constellation would represent a whole new layer for PNT delivery, combined with traditional GNSS as well as 5G/6G-based positioning on the ground, and fused with data from sensors in the user terminals.

Interest from industry

ESA has been researching core elements of the LEO-PNT concept since 2016. Now, with numerous low Earth orbit constellations already taking shape around the globe, the time is right to move from basic research to in-orbit demonstration.

Interest from European industry in the LEO-PNT project has been very high, shown by a recent Request for Information where ESA presented details of how companies and institutions might participate and a large number of companies registered and presented possible concepts and contributions.

Forward to FutureNAV

LEO-PNT is supported through the ESA Directorate of Navigation’s FutureNAV programme, which also includes the GENESIS satellite to measure the shape of Earth more accurately than ever before while also boosting the positioning performance of satnav satellites. The FutureNAV programme, which includes both GENESIS and the LEO-PNT initiative, is up for decision at ESA’s next Ministerial Conference, taking place in Paris on Nov. 22-23. Read the fact sheet here.

Until now, all navigation satellites have flown in medium-Earth orbit – up at 23,222 km in the case of Galileo, which delivers meter-level accuracy. At such altitudes the satellites move slowly across the sky, helping ensure global availability of satellite navigation signals, albeit at relatively low power.

ESA’s LEO PNT constellation would move to a “multilayer system of systems” approach, with medium-Earth orbit signals supplemented by those from LEO satellites at altitudes of less than 2,000 km — along with additional inputs from terrestrial PNT systems and user-based sensors, made up of approximately a dozen satellites, helping European companies move forward at a time when worldwide commercial interest is high in LEO constellations of all kinds, especially for telecommunications and PNT.

The satellites themselves can be stripped down compared to current navigation satellites, because they would essentially be relaying satnav signals from MEO. This is a key point because there will need to be many more satellites to ensure global coverage — because the lower the orbit the faster each individual satellite will pass across the sky. This fact also opens the way to a more agile “New Space” approach to satellite construction for European firms, with smaller payloads and simplified operations from the ground.

Their signals will be much stronger (potentially able to penetrate indoors), and transmitted on novel frequencies, which – along with the new geometries made possible by LEO satellites – should enhance overall service resilience. LEO PNT will also deliver faster position fixes and enable rapid two-way authentication checks. And overall signal availability will be boosted enormously, especially in high-latitude and polar regions.

Rx Networks, Inc., a GNSS data services company, announced the availability of TruePoint.io precise location services on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platforms. TruePoint.io integration empowers Android smartphones to achieve enhanced location accuracy down to a meter or less – something previously only seen with high-grade receivers.

With enhanced location accuracy, superior user experience for such use cases as rideshare, micro-mobility, health and fitness and lane-level requirement applications can now be realized. The enablement of reliable meter-level location accuracy on mobile phones will unlock the potential of location-based services and open the door for other innovative and unique use cases. The limitations of a standalone GNSS chipset no longer become the barrier to pursuing the vision of connected ecosystems reliant on location.

TruePoint.io enables scalable, reliable, and affordable ways to leverage high-precision location on smartphones powered by Snapdragon mobile platforms. Rx Networks’ global coverage, including China, gives smartphone OEMs the advantage of a single GNSS corrections vendor that works across all continents.

“Rx Networks provision of GNSS data services for accurately positioning smartphones using Snapdragon mobile platforms will enable meter-level location accuracy almost everywhere smartphones can connect to a terrestrial cellular network,” said Francesco Grilli, Vice President, Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Meter-level location accuracy is poised to improve smartphone user experiences and spur the creation of exciting and innovative services for businesses and consumers.”

TruePoint.io is scheduled to be available on Snapdragon mobile platforms initially in China in Q4 2022 and globally in H1 2023.

Leica Geosystems, a part of Hexagon, received the prestigious Wichmann Innovations Award at this year’s INTERGEO in Essen, Germany for its Leica AP20 AutoPole.

The Wichmann Innovations Award honors new technology that stands out for innovation, user-friendliness and practicality. A panel of industry leaders shortlisted the submissions. Subsequently, the public was able to weigh in by casting a vote for their favorite finalist.

The Leica AP20 AutoPole is an innovative solution for automated total stations that features tilt compensation, automatic pole height readings and unique target identification. The technological convergence in the AP20 addresses core pain points in today’s total station workflows by making it possible to measure with a tilted pole, adjust height readings in the software automatically and prevent the station from locking onto unwanted targets.

“The Leica AP20 AutoPole boosts efficiency by removing the last analog steps in robotic total station workflows. We were pleased when customers told us they were able to double their productivity on some projects,” says Hans-Martin Zogg, business director TPS at Leica Geosystems, part of Hexagon. “This award represents the acknowledgment of the expert jury as well as the broader surveying community, and winning it is a wonderful recognition of our team’s accomplishment.”

Geometer International, a Ukrainian developer of GNSS/RTK instruments and applications for satellite positioning, has introduced the Walker RTK, a dual-frequency L1, L2 RTK receiver in the compact form factor of a portable RTK device.

The Walker RTK is a lightweight, small-sized, affordable and full-featured device for collecting, storing and processing geo-referenced data on the survey site. According to the developer, a GNSS receiver in a convenient and affordable format will significantly expand the use of RTK technology. The new technology will be suited to most tasks requiring centimeter precision positioning and measurements in a 3D coordinate system.

Compact and lightweight, Walker RTK is the ideal solution for field workers working away from the office. The new device can be operated with just one hand, significantly improving the productivity of service personnel.

Possible applications for GNSS Walker RTK include surveying, utilities, solar power plant engineering, trenching and pipeline installation, drilling, forestry and municipal infrastructure control.

What’s under the bonnet of Walker RTK?

The Walker RTK is built around a 2-frequency L1/L2 184 channel board and a sensitive Helix antenna, satisfying up to 90% of basic user requirements. The tube-shaped housing geometry allows it to fit with any universal mount. The receiver weight is only 0.25g (0.470 with smartphone holder) due to the aluminum alloy housing with a protective coating. The Walker RTK has a built-in Li-Ion battery with enough power for 24 hours of continuous operation without additional recharging. The new energy-efficient architecture of the unit achieves this.

The GNSS receiver has the minimum amount of leading interfaces, resulting in high IP67 dust and waterproof rating. The device can be paired with a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth, while connection via BLE is also planned for a future release.

Compatible with satellite systems

Walker RTK can track and determine geo-position using signals from all known existing satellite systems. This feature makes it possible to achieve the centimeter-level accuracy of an RTK solution within seconds.

GNSS signals processed by the Walker RTK GNSS receiver:

• GPS (L1C/A, L2C)
• GLONASS (L1OF, L2OF)
• GALILEO (E1B/C, E5b)
• BEIDOU (B1I, B2I)
• QZSS (L1C/A, L1S, L2C)
• SBAS (L1C/A)

Thanks to NMEA messaging, the Walker RTK GNSS receiver is fully compatible with any professional or freeware geolocation software, providing high accuracy and reliable RTK-corrected positioning.

Atmos, a Dutch UAV manufacturer that develops high-end VTOL fixed-wing UAVs for mapping and surveying applications, expanded its global reseller network by signing a reseller agreement with Volatus Aerospace, a leader in commercial drones and UAV technology, in Canada. Volatus will be responsible for the distribution of Marlyn Cobalt UAVs in Canada and will provide assistance and maintenance services to local UAV operators. The company brings extensive experience in aviation operations, safety, compliance and innovation to the evolving uncrewed aircraft market.

Marlyn Cobalt is the first fully autonomous hybrid (VTOL & fixed-wing) drone for mapping and surveying applications. With its patented design that combines the best of both worlds, Marlyn can take off vertically from anywhere and map fast and efficiently producing high-quality outputs for professional users. It is the only drone in its class that is built to perform even in harsh and windy conditions, while its easily swappable payloads provide operators with flexibility.

“We have an incredible team pushing the envelope on the entire spectrum of UAV technology,” said Glen Lynch, CEO at Volatus Aerospace. “The Marlyn Cobalt survey drone is an exciting new addition to our product offerings.”

Septentrio, a leader in high-precision GNSS positioning solutions, introduced the AsteRx SB3 ProBase, the latest generation of GPS/GNSS base station receivers, designed for the creation of top-quality measurements for RTK and differential corrections.

The AsteRx SB3 ProBase is an IP68-housed GNSS base station receiver, featuring the latest quad-constellation GNSS technology for the best quality measurements. The new ruggedized receiver complements the SB3 receiver family: the AsteRx SB3 Pro, rover receiver, the AsteRx SB3 Pro+ rover and base receiver and the AsteRx SB3 CLAS, dedicated to the Japanese market.

“Customers often look for a simple, high-quality and easy-to-integrate base station to set up local high precision RTK or to densify their network and the AsteRx SB3 ProBase is the perfect solution,” said Silviu Taujan, Product Manager at Septentrio. “Thanks to its configuration flexibility and monitoring capabilities it is extremely easy to deploy and configure the SB3 ProBase. Plus, it comes with our industry-leading GNSS+ technologies, including anti-jam and anti-spoofing technology (AIM+) for unbeatable robustness and reliability.”

AsteRx SB3 products are pin-to-pin compatible with Septentrio’s popular AsteRx SB ProDirect receiver and with the recently released AsteRx SBi3 GNSS/INS system, making it simple to change receivers.

An independent study conducted by UAV Navigation has defined the operational envelope of the VECTOR-600 autopilot based on the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) methodology. The operational envelope defines the operational risk profile within which an aircraft can operate safely, taking into consideration all risk mitigations included within the system.

The SORA methodology evaluates the safety risks involved with the operation of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) of any class, size or type of operation. The concept of operation (ConOps) is normally used as the input for this analysis; the output takes the form of the Specific Assurance and Integrity Level (SAIL) for a particular operation, which indicates the level of robustness that must be demonstrated for the operational safety objectives.

In this case, instead of performing a conventional SORA analysis from the ConOps to the SAIL output, this study was performed the other way around because the objective of the study was to identify the operational envelope of the sytem.

EUROCAE ED-280, the guidelines for UAS safety and analysis for specific categories of low and medium levels of robustness, recommends to any operator a detailed definition of different mission and platform points: the ConOps, the entire UAS architecture including functions, systems, and implementation, identification and classification of failure conditions; verification that safety objectives are fulfilled and a complete probable failure analysis using FMEA-like techniques and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).

UAV Navigation prepared an FMECA and FTA analysis performed by a third-party and independent company on the VECTOR-600 autopilot and its onboard sensor suite, the POLAR-300. The study concluded that within the operational envelope of the VECTOR-600, any failure – however remote the probability – is highly unlikely to result in a catastrophic outcome, such as the loss of the aircraft. The conclusions reached indicate that the system is perfectly suited for VLOS/BVLOS operations – including appropriate restrictions where applicable. The system has proved its robustness and suitability for safe operations over a wide range of missions usually performed by professional UAS.

The analysis is available on request to all clients interested. Contact UAV Navigation for more information.