FocalPoint, a UK-based software company specialising in next-generation positioning solutions for mobiles, wearables, and automotive, has completed the development of the world’s first GNSS receiver incorporating its award-winning Supercorrelation technology, according to the company. With the support of NAVISP, FocalPoint has successfully met several key milestones to finalise this project.
Javier Garcia, Principal GNSS Engineer and Project Lead, presented the outcomes of this two-year programme to the NAVISP audience today.
This newly developed receiver will bolster FocalPoint’s commercialisation strategy by facilitating the development of intellectual property and product delivery. It will unlock commercial opportunities with customers and enable integration with partner chipset suppliers.
Exploiting its unique capability to ascertain the arrival angle of satellite signals, Supercorrelation filters out non-line-of-sight signals, such as reflections, that can corrupt positioning solutions. This technology has been recognised by the prestigious Institute of Navigation and has won multiple awards, including the Business Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics in 2023.
The completion of the S-GNSS receiver will allow FocalPoint to demonstrate the commercial and technical viability of their technology across three core sectors: automotive, wearables, and mobile industries. This aligns with addressing current limitations in GNSS accuracy.
The S-GNSS receiver will serve as a demonstration model for FocalPoint’s Supercorrelation technology, providing a test and evaluation platform to showcase its impact to the automotive industry.
FocalPoint has already initiated driving trials in dense urban and foliage environments using the S-GNSS receiver, showing improvements in both measurement (pseudorange and Doppler) and position domains (position and velocity). Initial results indicate significant enhancements in GNSS positioning accuracy in challenging environments, validating the potential of an S-GNSS upgrade to enhance chip performance.
Future receiver development will aim to expand supported signal types beyond GPS and Galileo and optimise the implementation of Supercorrelation measurement accuracy within the positioning solution.
Gonzalo Martin de Mercado, NAVISP Element 2 Manager, under which this project was developed, said: “We are very proud to have supported FocalPoint in developing their S-GNSS receiver. This technology is a step-forward for GNSS receivers since it solves in a fast and cost-effective way the multipath problem existing in urban environments.
“We are confident the results of the project will allow FocalPoint to provide evidence of the impact of this innovation to present and future partners. We are confident this technology will have significant growth potential in ADAS, and even in consumer markets like smartphones and wearables.”
Scott Pomerantz, CEO of FocalPoint added: “The availability of this live demonstration platform will enhance the next phase of our growth, providing that much needed proof-based impact of our software from the trials that are successfully underway. We are already in conversation with chip partners who are testing the game-changing improvements of S-GNSS in the automotive sector. I’d like to extend my thanks to the commitment of our uniquely skilled GNSS engineers for driving this exciting project forward.”
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