u-blox enhances GPS integration with EPSON Toyocom

31 August 2007, 12:08pm

Thalwil, Switzerland, and Munich, Germany – August 31, 2007 – u-blox, the leading Swiss provider of GPS receiver technology, has improved its groundbreaking GPS dead reckoning system by integrating a gyroscope sensor
from Epson Toyocom, a leader in the design and manufacture of crystal-based electronic products, into the reference design for the product.

The reference design will shorten time-to-market and reduce the risk of GPS
integration for applications that require accurate, uninterrupted positioning regardless of GPS signal conditions.

u-blox' dead reckoning solution, powered by the LEA-4R dead reckoning GPS module, is ideal for applications that require continuous positioning such as vehicle navigation, fleet management and toll systems. An odometer
calculates distance traveled and a gyroscope determines turn rate. This data supplements the GPS data to provide continuous positioning in tunnels, indoor parking facilities, urban canyons and other environments in which it
may be difficult to obtain a GPS satellite signal.

"u-blox' LEA-4R dead reckoning GPS module enables 100% road coverage. Epson's XV-8000-CB gyroscope offers improved temperature, shock and vibration stability," said Karsten Tietz, VP Sales EMEA at u-blox. "The combination of Epson's high performance gyroscope with our highly flexible and compact LEA-4R module provides engineers with a high performance
solution that will significantly speed up their design cycle and ease GPS integration," Mr. Tietz added.

Dieter Liesabeths, VP Sales & Marketing at Epson Europe Electronics GmbH, said: "u-blox' choice of our gyro sensor for this reference design underlines our sensors' superiority in key characteristics like linearity, zero-point-drift and temperature stability, as well as small size. The use of the XV-8000CB gyro sensor in u-blox' dead reckoning reference design is fully in line with our strategy to aggressively address the toll collection and navigation market with the gyro".

The AEK-4R dead reckoning reference design Evaluation Kit is available from October from u-blox official distributors and from u-blox' online shop: http://www.u-blox.com/shop/. The reference design schematics are available
upon request. Please contact sales@u-blox.com for details.

u-blox Contacts:
Alicia Montoya, Marketing Communications Manager
phone: +41 (44) 722 74 86, e-mail: alicia.montoya@u-blox.com

Epson Toyocom Contacts:
Stefan Hartmann, Senior Manager QD Division, EPSON EUROPE ELECTRONICS GmbH
phone: +49 (0) 89 14005 342, e-mail: stefan.hartmann@epson-electronics.de

www.u-blox.com

Geo: International