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Hi everyone,

Today we present our first product - Zubax GNSS. It is a high-performance open source positioning module for outdoor environments with doubly redundant UAVCAN bus interface. It's the right choice for any UAV or robotic application where safety, positioning accuracy and cost efficiency are paramount.

Being UAVCAN-interfaced, Zubax GNSS can be used out of the box with any UAVCAN-enabled controller, such as Pixhawk. Detailed instructions about how to configure Pixhawk for use with Zubax GNSS can be found at our documentation portal (see the links below). At the moment, the native PX4 stack already has complete UAVCAN support implemented in the stable branch. The APM stack doesn't have support for UAVCAN at the moment, but there were some successful experiments with it earlier so it will be there soon as well. By the way, any cooperation from the APM developer community is highly welcome!

Features

Sensors

• High performance concurrent GPS/GLONASS receiver u-blox MAX-M8
  • Full RF shielding of the GNSS circuits ensures reliable operation in high-EMI environments
  • 35 mm high gain patch antenna with large ground plane for reliable reception even in urban canyons
  • Analog front end with LNA and SAW ensures high noise resilience
  • Rechargeable backup battery enables low time-to-first-fix (a few seconds)
  • Up to 15 Hz update rate
• High precision digital barometer Measurement Specialties MS5611
  • Altitude resolution 10 cm
• 3-axis digital compass Honeywell HMC5883L

Interfaces

• Doubly redundant UAVCAN with standard connectors
  • Sensor measurements at configurable rates
  • Continuous self diagnostic and failure detection outputs
  • Configuration
  • CAN bus bitrate up to 1 Mbps
  • Can be used in non-redundant mode as well (one interface will be inactive)
• Auxiliary serial port
  • Direct access to the u-blox module
  • Firmware update
  • Diagnostics and configuration via command-line interface

General

• Extensive, continuous self diagnostics and failure detection make Zubax GNSS a favorable choice for safety-critical applications
• Multiple redundant units can be used concurrently on the same UAVCAN bus
• Sources are open and freely available for everyone:
  • Firmware sources
  • Schematics
  • 3D printable models of protective case and mounts
• Low cost

Performance

The image below shows the performance of Zubax GNSS in comparison with another popular GPS receiver (u-blox LEA-6H with 25 mm patch antenna). Notice the deviation map, position accuracy estimates and SNR. This was captured in a shallow urban canyon of a large city. Zubax GNSS is on the left (click to enlarge):

This video features a highly precise, fully automatic landing of a Pixhawk-powered quadrotor with Zubax GNSS:

Links

• Buy Zubax GNSS from our distribution and manufacturing partner
• Read the manuals at docs.zubax.com
• Learn how to use Zubax GNSS with Pixhawk
• Follow Zubax Robotics via Google+ or Github
• Get support at productforums.zubax.com

P.S. Stay tuned for more UAVCAN-interfaced avionics. UAVCAN-enabled ESC and a UAVCAN-enabled something-quite-important are on their way to the market. Developers, please consider moving towards UAVCAN-centered ecosystem by supporting this protocol in your projects - learn more at uavcan.org.