GPS World, May 2012

THE BUSINESS TRANSPORTATION Honda Turns to LabSat in Absence of GPS To cover for losses in satellite visibility which can occur in urban canyons tunnels and under bridges most OEM navigation systems have a deadreckoning capability that utilizes vehicle wheel speed data and turn rate information When it comes to testing these systems on the bench if the dead reckoning signals are not present the navigation systems will not function correctly To overcome this Racelogic has introduced a full navigation systemtesting solution with a LabSat GPS simulator video VBOX datalogger turntable yaw rate sensor and wheelspeed generation unit To record the data the LabSat and Video VBOX are placed in the vehicle during a simple drive along the desired test route The wheel speed data is recorded from the vehicle CAN bus and the yaw rate sensor records the physical movement of the vehicle Back in the laboratory the LabSat recreates the GPS data the wheelspeed generation unit outputs synchronized wheel speeds and the data from the yaw rate sensor drives the turntable on which the navigation system is placed This unit then has the information it requires to operate as normal under all conditions A synchronized video shows the progress of the vehicle along the route allowing the user to see the exact conditions during the recording of the data Honda used this system to test its navigation unit without the need for repeated field testing even during periods of total satellite loss Honda engineers can replay the same route as many times as required ensuring repeatability while simulating every real world condition PROFESSIONAL OEM IFEN WORK Microwave Offer Enhanced Simulator IFEN and Work Microwave are offering an enhanced version of NavX NCS Professional a multi frequency simulator is optimized for research and development of GNSS safety and professional applications The NavXNCS range of simulators also includes the NavX NCS Essential a multi GNSS version designed for system integration and production testing of mass market applications including automotive sat nav mobile phone apps chip sets and handheld personal navigation devices PNDs The NavX NCS Professional is an RF signal generator for GPS Galileo GLONASS and SBAS with up to nine L band frequencies and 108 channels The NavX NCS Professional gives users the capability to simulate two three or four multi GNSS receptors from a single unit Simulated Doppler shift is now capable of operating at a rate greater than 15 MHz allowing for smooth signal simulation even when simulating high dynamic trajectories The receiver can be integrated with the control computer enabling users to receive RTCM information on the fly IFEN said RTCM minimizes the effects of atmospheric and satellite errors on position determination by using the radio signals from each of the GPS satellites to measure pseudoranges to these satellites Because the exact locations of the satellites and the reference receiver are known NavX NCS Professional determines the difference between the actual and the expected pseudoranges providing accurate simultaneous RTCM information IFEN said Teaming with Septentrio and using their advanced technology we can reliably deliver our high precision positioning services to our customers around the world Walter Steedman Managing Director Veripos Off shore exploration and construction activities are large complex and expensive operations involving many technologies to run projects cost eff ectively safely and ecologically responsibly Th ese projects depend critically on reliable precise navigation and positioning at sea a diffi cult environment even in the best of circumstances Why Septentrio Because we are reliable experts Because we are ahead Versatile OEM Receivers for Demanding Applications www gpsworld com May 2012 GPS World 33