u-blox’s evaluation platform for product with high accuracy positioning capabilities will help design engineers build, test and demonstrate early-stage proofs of concept more quickly.
Evaluation of components such as sensors is an essential step before finalizing the final product. Evaluation and validation of sensors is time-consuming as the engineers first need to design and build the hardware compatible with the sensor. To simplify the process, u-blox has announced two new ready-to-use explorer kits named XPLR-HPG-1 and XPLR-HPG-2. The explorer kit can enable engineers to design and evaluate products requiring centimetre-level positioning capabilities. Both the kits feature an open MCU, moreover, these kits also include a high-precision GNSS (HPG) positioning with real-time kinematic (RTK), dead reckoning, cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communications, and the necessary antennas.
Both the kits include the full gamut of u-blox technology and software required. The XPLR-HPG-1 kit is based around u-blox NORA-W106, with its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE capabilities. It includes three Click boards, which incorporate the LARA-R6001D LTE Cat 1 module (global coverage and with built-in MQTT client), the ZED-F9R high-precision RTK GNSS module, and the NEO-D9S L-band correction data receiver module. For faster deployment, the company plans to include example software for the Espressif IoT Development Framework (ESP-IDF), based on ubxlib software components.
Pelle Svensson, Senior Principal Product Strategy, Product Strategy Short Range Radio at u-blox said: “Centimeter-level positioning accuracy is becoming increasingly important for consumer and industrial applications. It relies on getting GNSS technology working hand-in-hand with wireless communication capabilities, to link in with augmentation data services such as PointPerfect. Our aim with these new kits is to make the process as simple as possible for design engineers, by providing all the key technologies and services in one place. This will enable them to create rapid proofs of concept of their solutions, and ultimately get the finished product into customers’ hands more quickly.”
Both the u-Blox kits are helpful for a wide variety of applications and can assist engineers working in areas such as micromobility and low-speed robotics. Moreover, it can help them build, test and demonstrate early-stage proofs of concept more quickly, thereby supporting faster overall time-to-market.
