How GNSS Technology Drives Autonomy

As society makes progress towards full autonomy, accurate localization and positioning solutions are imperative for connected vehicles. Thanks to advances in position and sensor integration, high precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology provides the reliability, accuracy, and accessibility that a vehicle needs to be fully autonomous.

To achieve autonomy, vehicles need to communicate with each other and the surrounding environment; these communications include:

• vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)
• vehicle-to-cloud (V2C)
• vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I)
• and vehicle-to-everything (V2X)

These communications necessitate the implementation of wireless connectivity and the use of several protocols such as GNSS, cellular 5G/4G/LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, SDARS, Short Range Communication, DSRC/C-V2X, SRR & LRR, and ultra-wide (UWB) to work in conjunction. By implementing these protocols, one can realize a safe distance from other vehicles on the road, navigation, lane change, blind spot detection, traffic sign recognition, and collision avoidance – all needed to attain full automation.

What is GNSS?

GNSS is the standard generic term for satellite navigation systems that provide geospatial positioning. This term includes global constellations such as GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo and Regional constellations such as Beidou, QZSS, IRNSS. Having access to multiple satellites is necessary to ensure geospatial positioning is accurate, redundant, and available at all times.

Abracon GNSS Antennas

Particularly, Abracon GNSS antennas assist in determining the accurate location of the vehicle to facilitate sub-meter level or even centimeter-level accuracy. Abracon’s broad range of passive and active internal and external antenna solutions provide accurate positioning, some of which are optimized for high precision applications, like autonomous driving.

To learn more about how GNSS technology helps drive full autonomy, watch the High-Precision GNSS Antennas for Automotive Applications webinar presented by Roshni Prasad, associate engineer for RF & Antennas. After the webinar, express your creativity and submit a design to our design contest with Future Electronics. Design contest participants are challenged to choose an existing automotive module or chipset to develop an RF chain using an Abracon GNSS antenna solution. Winners will be selected based on accuracy, complexity, and originality. The deadline to submit a design is November 12th, 2021.