IFEN, a manufacturer of GNSS navigation products and services, in partnership with WORK Microwave, a European manufacturer of advanced satellite communications and navigation equipment, announced enhancements to the NavX®-NCS GNSS multifrequency simulator. The NavX-NCS solution supports GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and SBAS constellations, providing the leading GNSS signal capability for research and development of GNSS safety and professional applications, as well as system integration and production testing of mass market applications, such as automotive satellite navigation, mobile phone apps, chip-sets, and handheld personal navigation devices.
The NavX-NCS GNSS simulators, available in Professional and Essential versions, feature up to nine L-band frequencies and 108 channels, offering users more than twice the number of channels compared with standard GNSS simulators. Increased usability and control is achieved through the new NCS Control Center software release V1.7. The GNSS simulators now feature motion models that simulate the motion behavior of any type of vehicle or vessel, including airplanes, trains, cars, trucks, and ships. A new CAN-Bus interface for automotive applications emulates a wheel's sensor data in real time according to the motion behavior of the vehicle, providing vehicles with the most accurate simulated wheel information available today. The NavX-NCS also includes a new sophisticated remote control interface that enables users to control and steer the simulator without using the GUI. This gives users the capability to integrate a GNSS simulator with an existing automatic test system and build commands into the existing test system.
In addition to the software updates discussed above, the Professional version now includes multiple RF outputs that allow users to test receivers with multi-antenna inputs from a single unit. Users can start with single RF output and upgrade to two, three, or four outputs at a later stage as required. Both versions of NavX-NCS can simulate doppler shift at a rate greater than 15 MHz, allowing for unparalleled smooth signal simulation even when simulating high-dynamic trajectories.
The NavX-NCS platform includes a two-year maintenance contract, the broadest range of frequencies and satellite navigation systems per chassis, as well as the flexibility for users to install software updates easily when they become available, making it the most cost-effective multi-GNSS simulator available today.