Movella motion sensor backs up position data
Xsens MTi-8, a miniature surface-mount sensor from Movella, provides dead reckoning inputs to fill gaps or correct errors in data from RTK GNSS receivers.
The Xsens MTi-8 combines centimeter-accurate positioning data outputs with a high-bandwidth inertial navigation system (INS) to enable precise dead reckoning.
The MTi-8’s INS is based on a proven inertial measurement unit – a platform first implemented in the existing MTi-3 and MTi-7 products. The MTi-8 also features an RTK GNSS satellite positioning receiver interface. The interface is compatible with universal NMEA signals, and with u-blox, Septentrio and Trimble data formats.
The MTi-8’s on-board INS capability means that RTK satellite positioning data can be enhanced in various ways: it can maintain real-time position information by dead reckoning in tunnels, under bridges and in other locations in which the satellite and/or RTK signal may be lost temporarily; it corrects intermittently faulty satellite position information when a positioning and/or RTK signal is temporarily lost or distorted; and it can increase the update rate of position and velocity data in fast-moving applications. The typical RTK GNSS receiver’s update rate is 10Hz. The MTi-8 increases this to up to 100Hz by filling in the gaps between GNSS receiver outputs with INS calculations.
Arnout Koelewijn, product manager at Movella, said: “Unlike a standalone RTK GNSS receiver, the MTi-8 provides fast, accurate positioning data at all times in all conditions, as well as giving the orientation measurements which are essential in many applications. The MTi-8 is the new way to supercharge the performance of an RTK GNSS receiver.”
The MTi-8 hardware system consists of a 3D gyroscope, 3D accelerometer and magnetometer, and interfaces to an external GNSS receiver and barometer, all housed in a small 12.1×12.1×2.55mm package.
Xsens sensor fusion software generates precisely synchronised measurements of roll, pitch, yaw/heading, velocity and position. The sensor fusion software operates with ultra-low latency to maintain high accuracy at output data rates up to 100Hz.
This makes the MTi-8 ideal for a wide range of slow or fast navigation, stabilisation, mapping and scanning applications, according to the company. It may be used in autonomous vehicles and outdoor mobile robots.
Development with the MTi-8 is supported by the Xsens MT Software Suite, which includes: an MT Manager – a GUI for Windows and Linux platforms – which provides T tools including a firmware updater and magnetic field mapper; a software development kit; code examples; and drivers for LabVIEW, Robot Operating System (ROS) and GO.
Movella also provides BASE by Xsens, an online repository of manuals and a knowledge base, as well as a community forum.
Movella is a full-stack hardware, software, and data analytics company created by the consolidation of mCube, Xsens, and Kinduct. It provides technologies and products that sense, capture and analyse all aspects of movement. Movella serves the entertainment, sports, health, and industrial automation and mobility markets. Its solutions enable customers to transform movement data into meaningful and actionable insights. It partners with brands such as Electronic Arts, NBC Universal, Netflix, Daimler, Siemens, and more than 500 sports organisations.
