GPS module has built-in dead-reckoning technology

GPS module with built-in dead reckoning technology will ensure 100% road coverage, enabling applications such as car navigation, emergency services, asset and vehicle tracking and road-pricing.

u-blox, a Swiss provider of GPS receiver technology, has brought out the LEA-4R GPS (global positioning by satellite) module with built-in dead reckoning technology that will ensure 100% road coverage.

Continuous coverage allows for GPS-enabled applications such as car navigation, emergency vehicle services, asset and vehicle-tracking products and road-pricing systems, which require accurate, uninterrupted navigation.

"The LEA-4R enables GPS-enabled applications that require non-stop road coverage", says Thomas Nigg, VP Product Marketing at u-blox.

"The tiny 17 x 22 mm module has a built-in USB port that eases data transfer by providing connectivity flexibility and bandwidth".

u-blox' dead-reckoning technology uses sensors that detect travelled distance and turn rate, supplementing GPS data and thus providing an accurate position in tunnels, indoor parking facilities, roofed logistics centers, urban canyons and any other environment where obstructed GPS signals hinder positioning.

Its built-in enhanced-Kalman-filter algorithm uses a combination of GPS and dead-reckoning data that counters the respective disadvantages of each approach.

Depending on the quality of the GPS signal and on how well the dead-reckoning sensors are calibrated, the technology uses a weighted mix of both data, generating optimal accuracy and coverage results.

The LEA-4R's algorithmic approach also eliminates multipath effects caused by high-rise buildings, position inaccuracies, and distortions from jamming sources.

Samples will be available in May 2007 from the u-blox online shop.

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