All-constellation RTK GNSS modules

Distributor Rutronik has added three surface-mount RTK-enhanced GNSS modules from Unicore to its portfolio.

RTK – ‘real time kinematics’ – is a service that increases the accuracy of satellite navigation systems.

• UM982
  GPS L1/L2/L5
  BDS B1I/B2I/B3I
  GLONASS G1/G2
  Galileo E1/E5a/E5b
  QZSS L1/L2/L5
  SBAS
  16 x 21 x 2.6mm
• UM980
  BDS B1I/B2I/B3I/B1C/B2a/B2b
  GPS L1/L2/L5
  GLONASS L1/L2
  Galileo E1/E5a/E5b
  QZSS L1/L2/L5
  SBAS
  17 x 22 x 2.6mm
• UM960
  GPS L1/L2/L5
  BDS B1I/B2I/B3I
  GLONASS G1/G2
  Galileo E1/E5b/E5a
  QZSS L1/L2/L5
  SBAS
  12.2 x 16 x 2.6mm

Inside, they are built around Unicore’s NebulasIV GNSS IC, which combines RF, baseband and positioning algorithms.

“Main and secondary antennas, allow UM982 to simultaneously track multiple frequencies of all GNSS systems, and perform both on-chip RTK positioning and dual-antenna heading calculation,” said Rutronik. “UM960 as well as UM980 feature an anti-interference unit, ensuring the module provides reliable position data in complex electromagnetic environments such as urban areas and tree shadows, and improves RTK initialisation speed.”

Picking the UM980 as an example, the NebulasIV gives it 1,408 channels, and single-point positioning is to 1.5m horizontally and 2.5m vertically, according to Unicore, improving to centimetres and even millimeters depending on which enhancement system is available.

Communication is over three LVTTL UARTs, with some software able to access SPI, I²C and CAN interfaces – the latter shared with one of the UARTs.

Operation is over -40 to +85°C.

Application is foreseen in UAV, robot lawnmowers, precision agriculture, autonomous driving, surveying and mapping.

Find the Ritronik product pages here: UM960, UM980 and UM982