Firmware release upgrades Piksi Multi with GLONASS

March 13, 2018 - By Tracy Cozzens

Swift Navigation, a San Francisco-based tech firm that is building centimeter-accurate GPS technology for autonomous vehicles, has released the latest firmware upgrade to its flagship product, the Piksi Multi GNSS module.

Firmware update 1.4 is the fourth improvement since Piksi Multi began shipping one year ago.

Duro – Piksi enclosure.

The firmware release also enhances Duro, the ruggedized version of the Piksi Multi receiver housed in a military-grade, weatherproof enclosure designed specifically for outdoor deployments.

The upgrade is available at no cost to Piksi Multi and Duro users and provides full support for GLONASS, in addition to the GPS satellite constellation. Access to dual constellations greatly improves availability, reliability and range between GNSS base and rover devices, the company said.

According to Swift Navigation, the firmware release also adds NMEA GGA output capability to existing NTRIP (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol), enabling Piksi Multi and Duro to seamlessly position by sending and receiving data from CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Station) base stations over the Internet.

Firmware Version 1.4 Enhanced Receiver Performance Highlights

GLONASS + GPS support. The new firmware provides full and reliable integer ambiguity resolution for GLONASS (G1/G2) + GPS (L1/L2C) for use with Swift Navigation products and most third-party base stations.
RTCM 1230 and 1033 interoperability. This allows Piksi Multi and Duro to communicate with many third-party industry-standard receivers.
NTRIP NMEA GGA support. This enables network RTK solutions and virtual base network (VBN) services.
Additional Fundamental Improvements
- Full position and velocity covariances now published for advanced users for use in autonomous systems.
- Carrier phase reacquisition was improved by seconds.
- Fix reliability and availability was enhanced for extremely precise positioning accuracy in SPP mode was increased when RTK is not available.

“The 1.4 firmware release is a step change improvement for our customers deploying Piksi Multi and Duro,” said Fergus Noble, CTO of Swift Navigation. “The addition of a second GLONASS satellite constellation enhances reliability and centimeter-accurate positioning in challenging environments, better supporting ground applications in precision agriculture, robotics and autonomous vehicles. Best of all, our customers benefit from new features delivered as a software update, at no additional cost and with no changes to their Piksi Multi or Duro hardware, underscoring Swift’s commitment to continuous improvements in our product lines.”

For detailed information about these upgrades, refer to the Piksi Multi 1.4 Firmware Release Notes. For detailed instructions on how to upgrade a Piksi Multi device, refer to Section 7 of the Getting Started Guide Piksi Multi - Upgrading Firmware. For firmware release binaries and product support documentation, visit support.swiftnav.com.