The device consumes low-power and enables positioning even in challenging environments, thus giving high-performance
Defining a new level of positioning performance in an extremely compact format and with very long battery life is the new the u-blox M10, a highly integrated global navigation satellite system (GNSS) platform designed for ultra-low power high-performance positioning applications such as sports watches or asset and livestock trackers.
The new u-blox M10 positioning platform can track up to four GNSS constellations at once to deliver positioning data even in challenging environments including 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. A high RF sensitivity also enables it to work well with small antennas, making it ideal for compact product designs. In sports watches, for instance, u-blox M10 guarantees highly dynamic positioning accuracy during a run in cities, woods or under an open sky, while preserving battery life.
The device can consume 12mW in continuous tracking mode, which is 5x less than the power consumed by previous u-blox meter-level GNSS technology, making it ideal for battery-powered applications. The RF sensitivity cuts downtime it takes for the platform to achieve a first position fix when initialised, further reducing systemic power consumption. And switching to the improved Super-E mode can extend battery life even more.
“With u-blox M10, we are setting a new benchmark in ultra-low power high-performance positioning applications,” says Bernd Heidtmann, Product Manager, Product Center Positioning, u-blox. “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 from u-blox. Design-in of the new u-blox M10 platform is enhanced and simplified with the newly designed u-center GNSS evaluation software. This new GNSS platform will be supported by AssistNow, u-blox’s well established assisted GNSS service, to accelerate positioning and improve accuracy.
