u-blox, the Swiss positioning and wireless module and chip company, announces UC530M,
a tiny parallel GPS/GLONASS module with built-in antenna. The antenna
module can be embedded in space-restricted environments because of its
tiny footprint of 9.6 x 14.0 x 1.95 millimeters. The highly integrated
SMT design reduces the need for external components and minimizes
manufacturing costs, u-blox said.
“Location-aware functionality in ever-smaller consumer and industrial
devices is a clear market trend. This presents an increasing challenge
to OEMs,” said Thomas Nigg, vice president of product marketing at
u-blox. “Manufacturers are confronted with the difficult task of
providing fast and accurate positioning in compact devices, while
time-to-market and price pressure call for minimal R&D effort and
low cost. The new UC530M is built to address these requirements: a
complete low-power, high performance multi-GNSS receiver with integrated
antenna. The module is easy to integrate in a wide variety of devices
cost-effectively.”
With high sensitivity, -165 dBm in tracking, and very low power
consumption, typically only 66 mW average power consumption, the UC530M
can be directly connected to a lithium battery, eliminating costly
voltage regulators. Advanced low-power modes are also supported along
with three days self-assistance support. Additional functionality
includes a logger function which stores location information in internal
memory. With a typical log interval of 15 seconds, log capacity can be
up to 16 hours.
The integrated antenna of the UC530M exhibits significantly better
radiation efficiency than small patch antennas, and performs well
against larger and heavier patch antennas. Its circular radiation
pattern brings flexibility to hardware designs, u-blox said. The
optional connectivity to an external antenna extends the applicability
of the module to a wider range of devices from handheld computers to
asset tracking systems. The module is drop-in compatible with the UC530
GPS antenna module announced in June 2012.
Engineering samples of the UC530M modules are available in December 2012. |
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