Fastrax Ltd. has unveiled the Fastrax IT600, including GPS, Russian-based GLONASS, Japanese QZSS, and SBAS in a single receiver module. The IT600 is designed to also support other positioning systems such as European-based Galileo and Chinese Compass/Beidou2 in the future.

The receiver module is specifically designed to serve the needs of the automotive industry. Enabling both GPS and GLONASS generally doubles the number of visible satellites compared with using GPS only, reducing the time to first fix and increasing positioning accuracy, especially while driving in urban canyons. Fastrax IT600 provides reliability and accurate positioning even in challenging environments, Fastrax said.

Advanced dead reckoning estimates the position of the vehicle when satellite signals are unavailable — which inevitably happens in tunnels and parking garages. The IT600 can utilize an analog gyro and odometer pulse and can later be complemented with a digital three-axis gyro and differential wheel pulse from a vehicle’s CAN interface to compensate for possible unavailability of GNSS signals.

Fastrax IT600 features 32 dedicated tracking channels that are dynamically assigned to acquire and track a mix of GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, Galileo, and Compass/Beidou2 signals. The module is able to operate normally with only one of the GNSSs, or utilize several systems simultaneously.

Fastrax IT600 is based on the newly introduced ST Teseo II GNSS chipset (STA8088EX), marking the first time a Fastrax module is based on a chipset from STMicroelectronics. The support for multiple GNSS systems and advanced dead reckoning enables module customers to benefit from additional satellite systems and improved tracking capability and accuracy, without having to make different designs for different markets, Fastrax said.

Fastrax IT600 features same small form factor as other Fastrax IT multiplatform modules, 16.2 x 18.8 x 2.3 millimeters; however, the pin-out is different. The low-power consumption of 80 mW is further decreased with the ability to turn off unused tracking channels.