M10 receiver tracks position with finer accuracy for towns and cities
Able to track four global navigation satellite system (GNSS) constellations at any one time, the M10 receiver from u-blox brings robust, low power positioning accuracy to wearables and asset tracking, says the company.
The brand-new u-blox M10 receiver platform can track four GNSS constellations at once, and in doing so, defines a new level of positioning performance in a wide range of applications, which demand a compact format and long battery life, such as sport watches or asset and livestock trackers.
The M10 can track up to four GNSS constellations at once to deliver positioning data even in challenging environments, such as cities with tall buildings, creating deep urban canyons. The receiver’s Super-S technology helps distinguish positioning signals from background noise to capture positioning data even when satellite signals are weak. High RF sensitivity also enables it to work well with small antennae, so it can be integrated into compact designs. In sport watches, for instance, M10 guarantees highly dynamic positioning accuracy during a run in cities, woods, or under an open sky, while preserving battery life, says u-blox.
M10 is designed to consume 12mW in continuous tracking mode. This is five times less than the power consumed by previous u-blox meter-level GNSS technology. The enhanced RF sensitivity also reduces the time it takes for the platform to achieve a first position fix when initialised, which further reduces systemic power consumption. To extend battery life further, the user can switch to the improved Super-E mode.
AssistNow is u-blox’s assisted GNSS service which is designed to accelerate positioning and improve accuracy. Depending on the required level of assistance, the service is available free of charge or for a recurring fee.
The M10 has proven techniques for detecting spoofed signals through the analysis of raw GNSS data, jamming-detection strategies and embedded filters to mitigate the effects of in-band RF interference.
Bernd Heidtmann, product manager, Product Center Positioning at u-blox, explained: “We have increased concurrent reception of satellite signals by a GNSS platform from three to four constellations and improved the power consumption level five-fold compared to previous generations while shrinking the chip size by 35 per cent.”
The first products based on the u-blox M10 positioning platform are the MAX- M10S GNSS module and the UBX-M10050 GNSS chipset, which are both available now.
u-blox has also released u-center GNSS evaluation software.
