Broadcom Offers GNSS Location Chip with BeiDou Support

The Broadcom BCM47531 GNSS chip generates positioning data from five satellite constellations simultaneously, including BeiDou.

Broadcom Corporation has introduced the BCM47531, a GNSS chip that generates positioning data from five satellite constellations simultaneously — GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, SBAS and BeiDou. The newly added BeiDou constellation increases the number of satellites available to a smartphone, enhancing navigation accuracy, particularly in urban settings where buildings and obstructions can affect performance.

More than 226 million mobile phones were sold to end users in Asia in the first quarter of 2013, increasing the region’s share of global mobile phones to 53.1 percent, according to Gartner (“Market Share Analysis: Mobile Phones, Worldwide,” 1Q13). As smartphone adoption continues to accelerate, users continue to identify location and mapping as a top requirement. Broadcom’s new GNSS system-on-chip (SoC) is based on its widely deployed architecture that reduces the time to first fix and allows smartphones to quickly establish location and rapidly deliver mapping data. The SoC also features a tri-band tuner that enables smartphones to receive signals from all major navigation bands (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS, SBAS, and BeiDou) simultaneously. By allowing use of any combination of satellites, users experience more accurate and consistent location performance in Asia and throughout the world.

“Broadcom’s new GNSS chip with BeiDou support provides OEMs with a cost-effective, low-power solution to deliver enhanced positioning capabilities for challenging city environments,” said Charles Abraham, Broadcom vice president & general manager, GPS. “Drawing on Broadcom’s long history of GNSS innovation, our new platform improves the navigation experience of smartphone users in most regions of the world and unlocks new location-aware applications.”

The BCM47531 platform is available with Broadcom’s location-based services (LBS) technology that delivers satellite assistance data to the device and provides an initial fix time within seconds, instead of the minutes that may be required to receive orbit data from the satellites themselves.

Key Features and Benefits:

• Simultaneous support of five constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS,SBAS and BeiDou) allows for position calculations based on measurements from any of 88 satellites.
• Broadcom’s tri-band tuner brings the ability to receive all navigation bands, GPS (which includes QZSS and SBAS), GLONASS and BeiDou simultaneously to the commercial GNSS market without having to reconfigure and hop between bands.
• Utilizes BeiDou signals for up to 2x improved positioning accuracy.
• Best-in-class Assisted GNSS (AGNSS) data available worldwide from Broadcom’s hosted reference network.
• Allows a device to interchangeably use the best signal from any satellite regardless of the constellation, ensuring better accuracy in urban and mountainous environments.
• Features advanced digital signal processing for interference rejection that enables satellite signal search and tracking during LTE transmission.
• Leverages Broadcom’s connectivity solutions including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
• Smart, Near Field Communications (NFC), Instant Messaging System (IMES) and handset inertial sensor data for best indoor/outdoor location.

The BCM47531 is now sampling.