Overview
The HIMALAYA project focuses on the design and development of a "ready-to-market" single chip GNSS mass market receiver for GPS, EGNOS and GALILEO signals.
Based on the wide expertise of NemeriX in building high performance, ultra low power consumption receivers for the mass market and on the broad experience and involvement of the consortium partners in the different domains (mass market AGNSS leading role, aiding techniques, 3gpp, advanced antenna techniques, advanced GNSS algorithms, etc.), a baseline has been discussed and defined, covering the principal signal of each satellite system.
The starting phase of the activity will allow the partners to perform a trade-off analysis, taking into consideration market expectations as well as the impact of the implementation of additional GNSS signals in terms of silicon structure, price and total size of the product. This will enable the design and development of the best adequate GNSS receiver to answer market expectations and customer needs.
The final product will be ready for implementation in ALL battery powered GNSS devices, particularly mobile phones, without any particular requirements in terms of power of the user terminal.
The whole system will be completed by an application to demonstrate the receiver, inherited from former FP6 LBS projects. Some forward looking research aspects, such as for instance advanced antenna techniques, will bring to the GSA a global view of challenges the mass market receiver world will have to manage in the future. The presence of a known market survey company within the consortium will guarantee the market viability of the developed solution as well as the market awareness, dissemination and exploitation phase.
Funding
Results
Addressable markets have been analysed: this study has been finalised. It analyses Location-Based Services markets and its evolutions, and sizes the potential of LBS applications, and assesses Galileo opportunities in the BtoC mass-market.
Advanced algorithm study: algorithms are proposed to improve the accuracy of the observables and the accuracy and robustness of the estimated position in an urban situation.
Advanced antenna study: this WP is focused on the preliminary study of an antenna design solution that can provide multi-frequency functionality to mobile phones, with the intent of reducing costs and improving performances with respect to the existing systems. Preliminary antenna design results have been obtained for a mobile device with GPS, GSM1800, UMTS and WLAN / Bluetooth capabilities. Acceptable radiation patterns, reflection coefficients and isolations have been achieved using very basic and cheap antennas in a combined radiator architecture.
Innovation aspects
The design and development of the best adequate GNSS receiver that answers market expectations and customer demands. This will lead to the development of the final product to be implemented in all battery powered GNSS devices, particularly mobile phones, without any further requirements in terms of power of the user terminal.
The project focuses on the design of a GNSS receiver that would be easily integrated into a mobile phone for LBS applications, that will make use of multi-constellation signals (GPS, Galileo, EGNOS) and complementary technologies (terrestrial telecommunications networks and sensors).
Technical Implications
Potential technical implications:
- A GNSS ASIC solution that includes baseband and RF front end for the market featuring at the same price, same footprint and same power consumption as a GPS-only ASIC.
- Galileo and EGNOS differentiators made accessible to mass market supported by Galileo-dedicated signal processing research.
- Provide to customers a chipset that clearly states a rupture in performances compared with what is available today on the market.
- Final demonstration of the concept, integrating the hybridised and aided ASIC into a prototype mobile phone.
Strategy targets
Innovating for the future: technology and behaviour.