The enhanced sensor-fusion module brings highly accurate and reliable positioning to autonomous and industrial applications
In an exciting announcement by u-blox, the firmware update for the ZED-F9R positioning module has been released, thus bringing robust centimetre-level positioning to use cases such as robotic lawnmowers, e-scooters and shared bicycles.
Based on the ZED-F9R high-precision sensor-fusion module, the ZED-F9R-02B for autonomous and industrial applications can be efficiently implemented with quick access to highly accurate positioning data in challenging signal environments such as dense cities.
The ZED-F9R is known to use a multi-band global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver platform for concurrently tracking up to four GNSS constellations. By applying real-time kinematic (RTK) techniques, the module derives positioning data with centimetre-level accuracy. These high-precision GNSS measurements are fused with data from the module’s inertial measurement unit (IMU), GNSS correction data, odometry information and a vehicle dynamics model to provide high-quality positioning accuracy in situations where GNSS alone would fail. The receiver includes dynamic models for robotic lawnmowers, e-scooters, and automobiles. Leveraging this feature, the ZED-F9R-02B integrates the GNSS correction data service, broadcast in the highly scalable state-space representation (SSR) format, making it easier to deliver fast time-to-market precise positioning solutions.
Strengthening robotic lawnmowers
Thanks to the ZED-F9R-02B’s ability to calibrate its dead reckoning system at low speeds, robotic lawnmowers can achieve further improvements in terms of their positioning accuracy. The module’s highly accurate position output lets end users precisely delimit the mowing area using software rather than with boundary wires and deploy robotic lawnmowers on complex lawn shapes while excluding trees and shrubs. Aligning each pass of the mower with the next is now more accurate than previously possible, delivering a professional-looking striped lawn.
“Our new ZED-F9R-02B high precision module is a turnkey dead reckoning solution that will enable designers to bring products that need dead reckoning technology to market more quickly than if they had to implement it from scratch,” says Alex Ngi, Product Manager, Industrial Navigation and Robotics, Product Center Positioning at u-blox. “It will also allow companies working in niche markets to employ dead reckoning technologies without needing to build and maintain expertise in the subject.”
The ZED-F9R-02B offers support for a range of correction services, including the SPARTN format, which makes it straightforward to distribute GNSS correction data over large geographical areas.
