Codium Electronique is an electronics company based in Langres in Haute-Marne, France, with a design office and a production unit. The engineers and technicians are working together in design projects for business partners. These design projects aim to plan, develop, and industrialize the customer’s technologies and applications of tomorrow in fields such as iIndustry, agriculture, and health care.
Codium is developing an accurate tracking solution for construction sites all around the world. The aim is to improve the safety of constructions sites by easily integrating the latest tracking and sensing technologies into this dangerous environment. The-company uses a patented software solution that automatically corrects and recalibrates all sensors.
In the meantime, RTK is used to ensure the safety of the workers on the construction site and to get data feedback to offer improvements to the workflows. Here, the Rutronik System Solutions Adapter Board RAB4 for RTK enabled Codium to test Unicore’s RTK solution.
Key components and advantages of the RAB4
Accurate positioning plays a key role in many applications and is becoming increasingly important, for example, in concerning self-driving vehicles and in environments with robots and increased human-machine interaction. Real-time kinematics is a technology that is much more accurate than conventional multi-GNSS systems, and is becoming more and more economically attractive. The RAB4 is an adapter board that can be used to quickly test the performance of the RTK technology in areas such as agriculture, precision farming, autonomous vehicles, drones, and lawn-mowing robots.
Technical details of the RAB4 at a glance:
- The UM980 from Unicore is a high-precision RTK-
- To evaluate absolute positioning, the RAB4 features a 4G LTE module with an integrated standard multi-GNSS receiver from Telit Cinterion’s LE910 series.
- The RAB4 also includes a prepaid SIM card preloaded with 100 MB of data. Thanks to this combination, NTRIP correction data can be downloaded from the Internet (might require fees depending of the chosen provider).
Centimeter-precision in real-time
With the RAB4, the experts from Rutronik System Solutions, in cooperation with the Rutronik Wireless Competence Center, have developed an adapter board that allows fast testing of RTK performance and comparison with a leading multi-GNSS receiver without having to design separate hardware.
RTK is a technology that increases the accuracy of satellite positioning systems using a base station that sends correction data to a moving receiver. Correction data can come from a local base station, for example via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NR+, or can be received over an internet connection from a third-party correction service using Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol (NTRIP). An example is the SAPOS-network which is free in 14 of the 16 federal states in Germany. Private correction data providers enable transnational coverage and even better technical performance. Compared to conventional GNSS receivers, which often only determine one position per second, with Unicore UM980 up to 50 fix/s are possible. As a result, the technology achieves an accuracy of 1–2 centimeters, even on fast-moving vehicles.
RTK as a future technology for positioning with design-in expertise from Rutronik
The RAB4 helped Codium research and evaluate RTK for its surveillance and worker safety solutions.
“We are very thankful for the in-depth support from Rutronik’s Field Application Engineers. Their advice was crucial for us in conceptualizing the firmware side and impressed us on how developed the RTK solution already was.”
Axel Moinet, Electronics Engineer and Doctor of Computer Science at Codium Electronique
The Rutronik wireless experts have been working with Unicore Communications, one of the leading suppliers of RTK components, for several years. As a result, Rutronik benefits from deep insights into the development of positioning technologies. In addition, the potential of the RTK technology in the agricultural sector has long been known: There are already robotic mowers that use this technology. However, at around five times the price of a conventional device, they are extremely expensive.
“Now that the price of the necessary components is becoming much more economically attractive, we expect to see a significant change in this market in favor of RTK over the next three years.”
Jordan Rose, Field Application Engineer at Rutronik
To show the performance of RTK technology and the RAB4, the experts at Rutronik System Solutions, with Jordan Rose as the project lead and software engineer, have developed their own rover. The rover is easy to operate via an app and can be controlled with centimeter precision. Using an Arduino interface, the RAB4 is combined with the Base Board RDK3 from Rutronik System Solutions. The RDK3 allows a wireless connection via Bluetooth Low Energy. The reference station sends the correction data to the rover in a real-time protocol via Bluetooth. As a result, the rover can navigate in the garden with centimeter precision. Therefore, it is not necessary to lay a wire in the ground as a boundary.
Scan the QR code to watch the rover demo (https://youtu.be/nIFyuUhEi08)
Overview of Adapter Boards
Rutronik Adapter Board – Text-to- Speech
Voice control for HMI applications
- Output of up to 12 languages
- Target applications: vending machines, access control, or health care products
Rutronik Adapter Board – HMS Anybus
Secure entry into IIoT applications
- Features all important fieldbuses and interfaces in the industrial environment such as EtherCAT, PROFINET, Modbus, POWERLINK, CC-Link, and PROFIBUS
- Offers the quickest entry for industrial ethernet
Rutronik Adapter Board – RAB1 – sensor fusion
State-of-the-art sensor fusion
- Combination of extremely powerful sensors from Infineon, Bosch SE, and Sensirion
- Intelligent combination of sensor values enables sensor fusion applications such as air quality measurement or for smoke and gas detectors
Rutronik Adapter Board – RAB2 – CO2
Testing CO2 sensors for a wide range of applications
- Combination of extremely powerful sensors from Infineon and Sensirion
- Optimization of the sensor function for measuring CO2, relative humidity, and temperature
Rutronik Adapter Board – RAB3 for Radar
Distance measurement, presence or obstacle detection
- Nisshinbo 60 GHz Smart Sensor Micro-Module for radar sensing at 60 GHz
- Infineon XENSIV™ 60 GHz Radar Sensor, a discrete radar IC, providing latest radar technology
Rutronik Adapter Board – RAB4 for RTK
Fast access to RTK for autonomous and automated outdoor applications
- State-of-the-art GNSS modules from Unicore Communications and Telit Cinterion, as well as various antennas from 2J
- High-precision positioning down to approx. 2 centimeters
Rutronik Adapter Board – RAB5 – OSIRE
Highly accurate optical calibration data for all LEDs included
- Dynamic color control and animations, no flickering up to 1 kHz PWM
- AEC-Q qualified for automotive applications
Rutronik ABU Reference Board – Automotive Bi-Directional 800 V Smart HV-Switch
Safe switching of electronic loads in a high-voltage circuit
- eFuse combines the functions of a conventional fuse and a switch
- Low conduction losses and low power dissipation due to state-of-the-art silicon carbide MOSFETs
For more information and a direct ordering option, please visit our e-commerce platform at www.rutronik24.com.
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