Swift Navigation Updates its Multi GNSS Receiver

By CIOReview | Tuesday, March 17, 2020

By improving the positioning engine and integrating NMEA GST notification, the future of GNSS transmitters will advance rapidly.

FREMONT, CA: The transmitters were traditionally big analog equipment constructed for the defense industry. However, the applications of GNSS transmitters did not remain confined within the military sector, with the development of receivers; it started to play a critical role for major industries. Presently, GNSS receivers are extensively broadened to include remotely controlled platforms, chipsets, microprocessors, Integrated Chips (IC), DSP, FPGA, portable devices. In addition, GNSS transmitters are currently operating across a broad range of systems, improving receiver quality, price, energy consumption, and autonomy.

Following the technological advancements, Swift Navigation, a navigation technology service provider, released the latest Firmware update to its Piksi Multi GNSS Receiver from its rugged version, Duro and Swift's Inertial solution, Duro Inertial. The newly released Firmware version 2.3 has significantly enhanced GNSS efficiency in aspects of location precision and accessibility, and also reduced RTK convergence time. With an increasing NMEA GST signal acceptance rate and the shortening of the latency in coverage time, the efficiency and quality of file processing SD card logging are advancing.

Swift Navigation provides Piksi ^® Multi with new characteristics and improved efficiency through hardware Firmware updates. Upgrading to version 2.1 of Firmware requires variant 2.0 of the Firmware pre-installed and fully functional, so the company has notified their users to upgrade to 2.0 before revamping to 2.1. version. Conversely, the operator can also update their Firmware by connecting to cable or ethernet using the Swift console. However, using serial interaction over UART method can be very lengthy, so the enterprise suggests using USB or ethernet as an alternative.

Changes from Firmware Version 2.2

Improvements to the Starling Positioning Engine - With the innovative revamp, the accessibility and precision of the solution have both enhanced in all methods of navigation, while the RTK convergence time has reduced significantly.

GST Message for NMEA - Presently, the upgraded system supports NMEA GST notification which gives approximate standard deviation of positional anomalies.

Fixes and Improvements — Users should recognize enhanced I/O file, updated foliage quality, increased precision following outages, expanded efficiency in multi-path circumstances.

PPS Improvements — With the updated functionalities, the performance of Pulse Per Second (PPS) has increased precision and decreased jitter.

Before trying to upgrade the Firmware, Duro Inertial clients using Windows must upgrade the Swift Console to version 2.3. Swift Console v2.2 may not be able to unlock a Duro Inertial, resulting in a pop-up window indicating that if INS is present, Firmware upgrading is not endorsed. Before changing the Firmware, the users need to alter the 'output mode' INS setting to 'Disabled' regardless of the INS' output mode setting status. During the Firmware update, it is suggested to disable INS production to prevent any false INS navigation alternatives.

Swift Navigation was recognized as one of the "20 Most Promising Automotive Technology Solution Providers" in 2018 for eliminating the geographical constraints in next-generation automotive systems.