As the industry advances Automated Driving Systems, the increasing accuracy of GNSS positioning bears significant importance. After all, if you’re handing over control to your vehicle, you want complete confidence that it will keep you safe.

Trial results unveiled at the recent global European Navigation Conference (ENC), demonstrated just this – the precision, accuracy and integrity gains in GNSS positioning for automotive applications from FocalPoint’s Supercorrelation™ receiver. Figure 1 below shows the impact of S-GNSS® Auto (powered by Supercorrelation™) to GNSS, clearly indicating close alignment to the ground truth and lines on the map.

As a unique software solution, S-GNSS® Auto leverages the user motion to improve the GNSS positioning accuracy, effectively extending ADAS capabilities into more challenging environments impacted by multipath and dense foliage.

Figure 1 (above) illustrates the improvement in position accuracy achieved by S-GNSS® Auto, closely aligning with the ground truth positioning. The blue line is positioned on top of the true trajectory (green line), thereby enhancing the measurements for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Conversely, the red line, which deviates onto the pavement, indicates a potential ADAS failure when S-GNSS® Auto is not activated.

While all OEMs or automated driving system designers will have their own specifications, a typical automotive GNSS requirement is to provide ‘lane level’ positioning, typically accurate to 1m-2m, 95% of the time. This requirement ensures that the GNSS can locate the vehicle confidently within the lane. Outside of ADAS and ADS, other vehicle functions that rely on GNSS can also benefit from a GNSS accuracy boost. These include accident data recorders and intelligent speed assistance systems, all requiring strong positioning performance, regardless of the environment.

This recent trial, made possible thanks to funding from the European Space Agency NAVISP program, demonstrated 2-3x improvement of GNSS position accuracy using S-GNSS® Auto in dense urban environments. While accuracies of 1m-2m are possible with traditional GNSS in open sky environments, in dense urban environments or areas under foliage, this is not usually possible.

Javier Garcia, Principal GNSS Engineer presented these early results from our Supercorrelation™ receiver and was consequently awarded best presentation in the Multi Sensor & Autonomous Navigation track.

Javier Garcia said, “ENC is a world renowned conference. It was an honour to present these results to such an eminent audience in positioning and navigation and demonstrate the impact of our Supercorrelation™ receiver. The results show that Supercorrelation™ processing significantly improves the position accuracy performance of GNSS receivers in dense urban environments”.

As shown in these exciting trial results, S-GNSS® Auto provides a dramatic improvement to GNSS accuracy, raising the bar for the availability of high accuracy GNSS. With this upgrade, system designers can re-evaluate the roles they assign to GNSS. This will enable the advancement of ADAS/ADS, the continued reduction of cost allocated to these functions – and therefore wider availability to mass-market. S-GNSS® Auto also provides the opportunity to enable new products, features and services that leverage this upgrade.

As a unique sensor within the ADAS perception system alongside cameras, radars and lidars, GNSS provides vital high precision absolute positioning to the automotive planning and control subsystems. Setting a new standard for urban performance and cyber-security, S-GNSS® Auto provides a uniquely cost-effective software solution, typically only associated previously with expensive hardware or infrastructure. The software can run anywhere from the chip to the operating system, providing automakers with a flexible and scalable upgrade to their ADAS and self-driving systems.

Through S-GNSS® Auto, we are able to significantly boost GNSS receiver accuracy, integrity and security. In collaboration with OEMs, chipset partners, Tier 1s and navigation engine suppliers, we are enabling smarter, more efficient navigation and safer hands-free driving even in the most challenging environments.

Interested to know more? Our whitepaper explores real-life use cases of how S-GNSS® Auto is bridging the gap to full autonomy and has a major role to play in improving safety and efficiency on our roads. Download it here.