u-blox F9 positioning technology for industrial and automotive applications

The u-blox F9 technology platform delivers high-precision positioning solutions for mass market industrial and automotive applications. The platform combines multiband global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology with dead reckoning, high-precision algorithms and compatibility with a variety of GNSS correction data services to achieve precision down to the centimetre level.

The F9 platform will underpin the next wave of u-blox positioning modules targeting mass market industrial and automotive applications. It uses GNSS signals in multiple frequency bands (L1/L2/L5) to correct positioning errors caused by the ionosphere and deliver fast time to first fix (Fast TTFF). Its ability to receive signals from all GNSS constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Beidou) further improves performance by increasing the number of satellites that are visible at any given time. Standalone u-blox F9 solutions robustly achieve metre-level accuracy.

To achieve centimetre-level accuracy, the platform offers optional on-chip Real Time Kinematic (RTK) technology. In addition to offering an open interface to legacy GNSS correction service providers, it supports the main GNSS correction services, taking RTK high-precision positioning to mass markets.

Optimised for low power consumption, the platform sets a high standard for security with built-in jamming and spoofing detection systems that protect against intentional and unintentional interference. Dead reckoning technology based on inertial sensors extends high-precision performance to otherwise challenging urban environments.

Automotive applications of the technology include lane level navigation for head-up displays and vehicular infotainment systems as well as for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, a prerequisite for highly automated and fully autonomous vehicles. In the industrial realm, the platform will enable mass adoption of commercial unmanned vehicle applications including drones and ground vehicles such as heavy trucks or robotic lawnmowers.