New all-inclusive GPS receiver in tiny package

Citation

(2002), "New all-inclusive GPS receiver in tiny package", Sensor Review, Vol. 22 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2002.08722dad.004

New all-inclusive GPS receiver in tiny package

New all-inclusive GPS receiver in tiny package

Sarantel and SyChip collaborate on an all-in-one GPS receiver antenna – gives notebooks and PDAs geographical fixing capability

Keyword: Antenna

The Dios™ all-in-one global positioning system (GPS) receivers, combine an omni-directional GPS antenna with SyChip's GPS2020 GPS receiver. The Dios Tracker 2020™ (see Plate 5), which measures only 50 x 18mm and weighs 28g, simply presents any system with an RS232 serial data stream containing SiRF binary or NEMA standard navigational information. It can easily be integrated into a variety of applications such as PDAs, notebook PCs, asset and vehicle tracking, in-car navigation and mobile computing platforms to provide fast accurate geographical fixes without significant size or battery life impact – key considerations for these applications.

The Dios Tracker 2020's small size and fast operation is due to a combination of Sarantel's PowerHelix™ antenna technology and SyChip's GPS2020 receiver. The antenna results in particularly good omni-directional performance and high immunity to proximity interference from people, equipment and buildings.

Plate 5 Dios tracker 2020 module

The core of the design is SyChip's award-winning GPS2020 GPS module which measures only 15mm x 13mm x 3.75mm and weighs just 1g. The module is designed with a stacked architecture containing SiRF's SiRFStar™ IIe GPS chip set and 8Mbit FLASH. The RF section includes the RF IC, LNA, GPS crystal, SAW filter and all the necessary passive components. Sychip's chip-on-chip technology and RF expertise are used to make this miniature product, demonstrating true system-level integration.

The Dios Tracker 2020 does not require a ground plane and therefore suits applications where size, weight and security are key requirements.

The mounting arrangements are flexible; serial data input, output and 5V and ground are the only connections needed, and all are made via one flying lead which exits through the base of the shielded metal case housing the circuitry.

The Dios Tracker 2020 antenna, which operates on the GPS L1-band (1575.42MHz), uses Sarantel's patented PowerHelix™ design in which copper tracks, deposited on to a small ceramic cylinder, are individually and automatically laser-trimmed for optimum frequency response. This construction brings several key benefits, the Dios Tracker 2020 can be mounted side-by-side in combined applications such as Bluetooth and GPS without loss of performance. Dios Tracker 2020 also has a very broad beamwidth (3dB contour up to 120° typical) making it highly effective at picking up GPS signals regardless of orientation or movement and allowing it to track low-elevation satellites, thereby improving overall GPS performance and speed of response.

"No GPS product realises quite so much performance in a package so small," said Tod Urquhart, Sarantel's sales and marketing director, "We are all excited about this development – it really provides the best from both technologies, an efficient, reliable GPS engine and a particularly robust and tolerant antenna. In an environment of ever decreasing development cycles, and in applications where GPS is fast becoming a must-have option, Dios Tracker 2020 is a very attractive solution."

Contacts: Jo Trimarco, Sarantel Ltd, Unit 2, Wendel Point, Ryle Drive, Park Farm South, Wellingborough, NN8 6AQ, UK. Tel: +44 (0)1933 670561; Email: info@sarantel.com and Navi Miglani, SyChip. Tel: +1 908 941 1126; E-mail: nmiglani@sychip.com