NEXT Generation GNSS Antenna
Last Updated: 25/04/2023 07:58 Created at: 25/04/2023 07:58
Final Presentation of NAVISP Project EL2 013 now available:
On Friday, April 14th, 2023, HELIX GEOSPACE presented the results of the NAVISP EL2 013 project “Next Gen GNSS Antenna”. The presentation was followed with significant interest from both industry and research institutes, with an attendance of approximately 50 people.
With the evolving demands of the upcoming generation of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based applications, including but not limited to Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communications, Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for product delivery, the current technologies face a significant challenge and the demand for multi-band GNSS high performing antennas is increasing. To meet this demand and achieve the required high accuracy, the NextGen GNSS antenna breaks from the traditional approach relying on a ground-plane to boost the performance of a GNSS antenna in terms of gain and bandwidth efficiency. Instead, it focuses on optimizing bandwidth within a smaller antenna size. Its design prioritizes parameters that are crucial for accurate navigation achieving a high level of rejection of multi-path interferences.
Helix Geospace has revolutionized Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) with their new dielectric-loaded hexafilar-turnstile antenna. This ground-breaking design is not only cost-effective but also compact, making it a better choice for many applications currently relying on traditional survey-grade antennas. The antenna's phase centre becomes independent of the vehicle, providing a sharp focus that minimizes measurement range-ambiguities and delivers an impressive 10 cm (2σ) accuracy, meeting the stringent requirements of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). In comparison, other single-ended antennas may only provide accuracy limited to the vehicle skin’s radiation aperture to the metre dimensions. The NextGen GNSS Antenna is also equipped with high co-to-cross polarisation discrimination to reject reflections from cityscape objects that cause polarisation reversal. This feature is essential as planar reflectors, such as steel and reflective glass surfaces on modern buildings, can reverse the sense of circular polarisation from right-hand to left-hand.
Helix Geospace wanted to test the effectiveness of their hexafilar-turnstile antenna, so they put it to the ultimate challenge with the Smart Mobility Living-lab London test vehicle. During the experiment, they compared their antenna to two stacked-patch multi-frequency GNSS antennas while driving through London's tricky test circuits. The results were impressive, showing that using wide-band E5a+E5b signal technology with the Helix Geospace antenna dramatically improved positioning accuracy in urban environments. Moreover, the project improved laser-lithography methods to manufacture more accurate GNSS antennas than nominal dimensions. They developed techniques to correct imaging toolpath movements based on part precession or runout, ensuring commercial yield. These methods are now used in Helix Geospace's GNSS manufacturing.
In conclusion, the NextGen project has achieved a breakthrough in designing, developing, and manufacturing a small-sized antenna with impressive wide-band GNSS capabilities. This includes the use of wide-band E5a+E5b signal technology, which has greatly improved positioning accuracy within urban environments. This breakthrough could revolutionize navigation in cities and have a significant impact on industries such as transportation and logistics.
The project was part of NAVISP Element 2, which aims to maintain and improve the capabilities and competitiveness of the participating States' industry in the global market for satellite navigation and, more broadly, PNT technologies and services.
More detailed information can be found in the slides of the Final Presentation.