GPS Sensors for a Variety of Applications

Harumasa Hojo, Shigeo Kawashima, Hiroyuki Kida, Mutsuo Hada, and Masakuni Hayashi

Abstract:	As the start of implementing the GPS system was declared IOC ( Initial Operational Capability ) recently, GPS systems have been implemented to their full specification and the position accuracy of receiver itself has improved. In addition, as the base stations for the DGPS technique, which improves the position accuracy much more drastically than the non DGPS technique, will soon be put into service, the GPS receiver market is rapidly expanding with increased sales of portable type and automobile navigation type receivers, and application of the GPS receiver itself, which essentially is position sensor, is expanding. Under these circumstances, further improvement is required of the GPS receivers including: 1. more compact 2. less power consumption 3. lower cost. It is now possible to materialize these requirements by employing the latest technologies ( for example, latest high integration semi-conductor technology or advanced line component processing technology ). The most important subject for the GPS receiver designers is how and to what extent they should meet the requirements for the GPS receivers by employing the latest technologies. This paper first considers the latest progress in the advanced technologies such as high integration semi- conductor technology and fine component processing technology have made. Then, the paper investigates how the GPS designers can employ those advanced technologies as a means of realizing the GPS receivers of more compact design, less power consumption design, and at lower cost. The paper discusses practical problems which the designers may encounter with in the course of designing. The advanced technologies should be able to provide means for resolving the problems which most GPS receiver designers would be faced with. To materialize the requirements for more compact and less power consumption design at lower cost, JRC has developed prototype portable GPS receivers of the latest design by making the most effective utilization of the advanced technologies. The paper introduces effective ways of employing the advanced technologies which JRC adopted in developing the new portable GPS receiver. The prototypes developed by IRC include the following, which are presented here. 1. Micro GPS receiver with built-in antenna 2. PCMCIA type II GPS receiver that can be hooked to a portable computer, At the end of paper, subjects that the GPS receiver designers should further examine in attempting to miniaturize the GPS receivers are described.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994) September 20 - 23, 1994 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	1087 - 1095
Cite this article:	Hojo, Harumasa, Kawashima, Shigeo, Kida, Hiroyuki, Hada, Mutsuo, Hayashi, Masakuni, "GPS Sensors for a Variety of Applications," Proceedings of the 7th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1994), Salt Lake City, UT, September 1994, pp. 1087-1095.
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