u-blox expands family of Automotive Dead Reckoning GPS receivers

u-blox has launched two new products equipped with u-blox’s Automotive Dead Reckoning (ADR) technology. Based on u-blox’s Kalman Filter algorithm, the NEO-6V GPS module and UBX-G6010-SA-DR single-chip deliver drop-in, self-calibrating GPS Dead Reckoning performance for high precision vehicle navigation systems.

ADR enables highly accurate positioning in areas of weak or no GPS satellite reception, such as within tunnels and park houses. The products are targeted for first-mount as well as after-market navigation systems. Automotive and standard grade versions are supported.

u-blox's Automotive Dead Reckoning GPS receivers includes cost-efficient, ROM-based components that connect directly to the vehicle data bus and external sensors. The result is a consistent, off-the-shelf Dead Reckoning solution that, after host initialization, self-calibrates to correct for varying driving conditions such as summer vs. winter tires or changes in tire pressure without requiring hardware or firmware customization. 

Another major advantage of u-blox’ ADR is that the same component can be used in virtually every sensor combination, such as inputs from two front, two rear, or all four wheels. Both gyro and wheel tick operation are supported. 

When GPS satellites are out of sight such as within tunnels, ADR extrapolates position based on distance and angle information provided by vehicle sensors. This results in accurate positioning even when the GPS signal is impaired or absent. ADR not only allows full coverage in indoor car parks, tunnels and underpasses but also effectively eliminates the impact of multipath effects in urban canyon environments.

For more information about u-blox’ ADR technology, read the recent article in EETimes article "Dead reckoning fills-in GPS navigation gap" or visit the u-blox ADR webpage.

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For samples and evaluation kit, contact the u-blox sales office nearest you.

Toni McConnel covers new products in the embedded systems industry and is a partner in the technical writing team TechRite Associates. She can be reached at "Toni McConnel" <techrite.associates@gmail.com>.