Broadcom unveils location architecture with multi-constellation and indoor positioning support

Telecom Lead America: Broadcom has launched its new
location architecture to offer more reactive outdoor and indoor positioning
capabilities for smartphone devices.

 

The company said that its new solution opens the door to
innovative applications, such as indoor positioning and place-based mobile
commerce.

 

The solution leverages third-generation
multi-constellation support, tight integration with sensor components and
Broadcom’s connectivity sub-system.

 

“As our third generation multi-constellation
solution, the BCM4752 and advanced location software bring together GNSS,
sensors, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC to make these applications a reality,” said
Scott Pomerantz, vice president and general manager, GPS at Broadcom.

 

The architecture features a new Global Navigation
Satellite System (GNSS) chip that significantly reduces time-to-first-fix
(TTFF) for outdoor positioning applications, cutting the time smartphone users
have to wait when first checking their position.

 

The platform solution also uses data from inertial
sensors, Wi-Fi access points (including those based on recently announced
5G WiFi) and future technologies such as Bluetooth.

 

“As consumers increasingly turn to their mobile
devices for advanced navigation assistance, advances to signal processing,
multi-constellation support and indoor location and positioning applications
and technologies will only propel this demand further,” said Patrick Connolly,
senior analyst, Telematics and Navigation, ABI Research.

 

The Broadcom BCM4752 GNSS chip provides the industry’s
most advanced multi-constellation support to the solution by concurrently
collecting data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and
SBAS) and using the best received signals.

 

The solution provides acquisition engine with advanced
multipath mitigation techniques provides faster time-to-first-fix performance
in challenging environments, as well as a more accurate urban navigation
experience.

 

Furthermore, its multi-constellation capability collects
data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and SBAS)
simultaneously and uses the best received signals, resulting in faster signal
searches and more accurate real-time navigation.

 

Recently, Broadcom
introduced a new portfolio of Ethernet LOMs (LAN on motherboard) and
adapters for HP’s new ProLiant Generation 8 (Gen8) servers.

 

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