The World's Smallest S-Channel GPS Receiver

Kiyoaki Souen and Tamikazu Nishida

Abstract:	This paper introduces an 8channel GPS receiver which, developed by Furuno Electric Co., Ltd., is believed to be one of the smallest of its kind in the world today. The Furuno GPS Receiver Module GN-72 contains just a single printed circuit board, measuring 100 x 70 x 20 mm, that performs all functions to be expected of a GPS receiver system. Power consumption is only 2 W. It has the abiity to keep continuous track of signals from eight satellites through au 8channel signal processing circuit. The following objectives were set at the start of development and have been well achieved with the GN-72: 1. To develop a custom IC that would dramatically reduce the number of components in the analog circuitry 2. To design an 8-channel signal processing circuit consisting of a single gate array 3. To improve the accuracy by the use of the all-in-view positioning method and a Kalman filter 4. To eliminate the need for adjustment on production lines 5. To allow easy update of programs in the feld 6. To develop an application program that allows fully autcuMted testing of production sets The GN-72 is designed for mass production and meets the harshest environmental requirements (e.g. ambient temperatures ranging from -30 to +8O*C) as well as the most demanding customers’ operational requirements (e.g. shortest time to the fust fur and least interruptions of position f&g). It will enable various new applications that have never been achieved with the performance and price of the previous GPS receivers. The paper describes the new technologies employed in the GN-72 and its circuit configuration. It also evaluates the accuracy of position fixes attained by the GN-72 in urbau areas in comparison with the plots on a road map.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992) September 16 - 18, 1992 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	707 - 713
Cite this article:	Souen, Kiyoaki, Nishida, Tamikazu, "The World's Smallest S-Channel GPS Receiver," Proceedings of the 5th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1992), Albuquerque, NM, September 1992, pp. 707-713.
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