GNSS antenna offers precise positioning up to 1cm

The co-developed compact antenna integrates imec’s innovative GNSS antenna and Septentrio’s GNSS RF front-end. The imec antenna design satisfies the requirements for the high-accuracy GNSS market while remaining small enough to fit in a handheld surveyor device. Simultaneously receiving all GPS, GLONASS and GALILEO bands, the antenna provides desired uniform gain and phase coverage over the complete upper hemisphere with strong suppression of unwanted reflected signals below or in the vicinity of the GNSS receiver.

Based on established front-end technology developed by Septentrio, the GNSS RF front-end offers superb out-of-band interference rejection. This avoids self-interference with other radiation sources such as Bluetooth and WLAN radios, as well as other ambient intentional and non-intentional interference. The compact multi-frequency antenna is uited for use with Septentrio’s compact and low power AsteRx-m receiver. This credit card-sized dual frequency GNSS receiver provides centimetre accuracy at less than 500mW power consumption. The company have claimed that this is by far the lowest power consumption in the professional GNSS market.

The most prominent satellite navigation system in use is the United States GPS, which, like the Internet, is becoming a Global Information Asset. First generation GPS receivers have an accuracy of a few metres when solely relying on the navigation satellites. Advance in technology and new demands on the existing GPS have led to efforts to modernise and develop other systems such as Russia’s GLONASS, Europe’s GALILEO and China’s BeiDou. So called next generation GNSS, when combined, aims for higher availability, accuracy and integrity.