multi-constellation, multi-frequency high precision timing ... · signals such as bds, gps,...

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INSTALLATION AND OPERATION

USER MANUAL

GPS/BDS/GLONASS/Galileo

Data subject to change without notice.Copyright© 2009-2020, Unicore Communications, Inc.

UT4B0

High Precision Timing ModuleMulti-constellation, Multi-frequency

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Revision History

Version Revision History Date

V1.0 Initial released revision Jul. 2017

R2 Update with a new hardware version Jan. 2020

R2.1 Change the shield dimension to 2.00±0.2 Jun. 2020

Disclaimer

This manual provides information about the products of Unicore Communications,

Inc. This document does not transfer the patent, trademark, copyright of the

company or any third party, or any right or permission under it by implication,

estoppel or otherwise.

Except as stated in the sales terms and conditions of the products, the company

shall not assume any other responsibilities. Furthermore, Unicore Communications,

Inc. makes no warranty, express or implied, for the sale and/or use of its products,

including the suitability of a particular purpose and marketability of products, or

liability for infringement of any patent, copyright or other intellectual property rights.

If the connection or operation is not in accordance with the manual, the company is

not liable. Unicore Communications, Inc. may make changes to product

specifications and product descriptions at any time without prior notice.

The company's products may contain certain design defects or errors, which will be

included in the corrigendum once found, and may therefore result in differences

between the products’ actual specifications and the published ones. Updated

corrigendum is available upon request.

Before placing an order, please contact our company or local distributors for the

latest specifications.

* Unicore Communications, UNICORECOMM, NebulasII and its logo have been

applied for trademark registration by Unicore Communications, Inc.

Other names and brands are the property of their respective owners.

© Copyright 2009-2020 Unicore Communications, Inc. All rights reserved.

UT4B0 User Manual

ii

Foreword

This document describes the information of the hardware, installation, specification

and the use of UNICORECOMM UT4B0 product.

Audience

This manual is applied to the technical personnel, who possess the expertise of

GNSS receivers.

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Contents

Contents .............................................. i

1 Product Introduction ................................. 1

1.1 Key Features ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Technical Specifications ................................................................................................. 2 1.3 Block Diagram ................................................................................................................... 3

2 Hardware .......................................... 4

2.1 Pin Definition ..................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Electrical Characteristics ................................................................................................ 5 2.3 Operating Conditions ....................................................................................................... 6 2.4 Physical Characteristics ................................................................................................. 6

3 Hardware Design .................................... 6

3.1 Design in Considerations ................................................................................................ 6 3.2 Module Reset Signal ........................................................................................................ 7 3.3 Antenna .............................................................................................................................. 8

4 Installation and Configuration ......................... 9

4.1 ESD Handling Precautions .............................................................................................. 9 4.2 Installation Guide ............................................................................................................. 9 4.3 Power-on ......................................................................................................................... 12 4.4 Setting and Output ......................................................................................................... 12

4.4.1 Operating Steps ............................................ 13

5 Common Configuration Commands ................... 15

5.1 High Precision Timing Setting ..................................................................................... 17

6 Firmware Upgrade .................................. 19

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Product Introduction 1

1 Product Introduction

UT4B0 is the world's first multi-constellation, multi-frequency and high-performance

RTK timing module independently developed by UNICORECOMM. It is designed with

standard 8Pin and provides high-precision satellite synchronous clock for the most

stringent timing applications in the world.

Equipped with the new generation multi-constellation, multi-frequency high precision

NebulasII SoC from UNICORECOMM, UT4B0 supports 432 channels. With the powerful

processing capability and the built-in JamShield multi-frequency anti-jamming

technology, it simultaneously tracks the multi-constellation, multi-frequency satellite

signals such as BDS, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and performs multi-frequency anti-

jamming processing, significantly improving the timing stability and reliability.

Figure 1- 1 UT4B0 High-Precision Timing Module

1.1 Key Features

Multi-constellation, multi-frequency high-precision timing module, provides

the world's leading timing accuracy

20Hz data output rate

JamShield adaptive anti-jamming and U-AutoAlign multi-path suppression

technology, applicable to complex and harsh environments with signal

interference

UT4B0 User Manual


1.2 Technical Specifications

Performance Specifications

Channels 432 channels, based on NebulasII

Cold Start ＜45s

Frequencies

BDS B1/B2/B3 GPS L1/L2/L5 GLONASS L1/L2

Galileo E1/E5a/E5b

Initialization Time ＜10s (typical)

Single Point Positioning (RMS)

Horizontal: 1.5m Vertical: 3.0m

Initialization Reliability

＞99.9%

TTFF (Time To First Fix)

＜50s

Dgps（Rms） Horizontal: 0.4m Reacquisition <1s

Vertical: 0.8m Differential Data RTCM 2.X/3.X CMR

Rtk（Rms） Horizontal: 1cm+1ppm Data Format NMEA-0183, Unicore

Vertical: 1.5cm+1ppm Data Update Rate 20Hz

Dimensions 67.2 mm*31.8mm Time Accuracy (1σ) 2ns

Functional Interfaces

UART (LV-TTL) 2x1PPS (LV-TTL)1

1 Optional


1.3 Block Diagram

Figure 1- 2 UT4B0 Structure Diagram

1. RF

The receiver obtains the filtered and enhanced GNSS signal from the antenna through

the coaxial cable. The RF section converts the RF input signal to IF signal and coverts

the IF analog signal to the digital signal required by NebulasII chip (UC4C0).

2. NebulasII Chip (UC4C0)

As the new-generation multi-constellation, multi-core high-precision SoC developed

independently by UNICORECOMM, NebulasII chip, based on the mature core technology of

Nebulas baseband chips and 55nm low power design, supports 432 hyperchannels. It has

built-in broadband ADC and anti-jamming unit, as well as two integrated 600MHz ARM

processors and a special high-speed floating-point processor to provide more powerful

satellite navigation signal processing capability.

3. Pulse Per Second (1PPS)

UT4B0 provides one IPPS signal with adjustable output pulse width and polarity.

4. Reset (RST)

Low active, with retention time no less than 5ms.

RF input

RF front end

Interface

UT4B0 User Manual

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Hardware 4

2 Hardware

Figure 2- 1 Mechanical Drawing

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Hardware 5

Pin definition:

UT4B0 data / power interface is designed with 8 Pin (2 × 4) pins, with a standard

spacing of 2mm.

8 7

6 5

4 3

2 1

Pin Layout

2.1 Pin Definition

No Pin I/O Description

1 ANT_PWR I Antenna DC power

2 VCC I 3.3V DC power

3 TXD O Transmit, LVCMOS logic level

4 RST I Hardware reset, active low

5 RXD I Receive, LVCMOS logic level

6 1PPS O 1PPS, LVCMOS logic level

7 Reserved/1PPS2 I Reserved/1PPS2

8 GND I Ground

2.2 Electrical Characteristics

Maximum Absolute Rating

Parameter Symbol Min Max Units

Supply voltage (VCC) Vcc -0.3 3.6 V

Input pin voltage Vin -0.3 VCC+0.2 V

LNA power supply (antenna) ANT_PWR -0.3 6 V

VCC maximum ripple Vrpp 0 50 mV

Input pin voltage (all other pins except those mentioned above)

Vin -0.3 3.6 V

Maximum ESD Stress VES (HBM) ± 2000 V

UT4B0 User Manual

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Hardware Design 6

2.3 Operating Conditions

Parameter Symbol Min Typical value

Max Units Conditions

Supply voltage (VCC) Vcc 3.0 3.3 3.6 V

Inrush Current2 Iccp 8.8 A Vcc=3.3V

Low Level Input Voltage

Vin_low_1 -0.3 VCC*0.3 V

High Level Input Voltage

Vin_high_1 VCC*0.7 VCC+0.3 V

Low Level Output Voltage

Vout_low 0 0.45 V Iout=4mA

High Level Output Voltage

Vout_high VCC-0.45 VCC V Iout=4mA

Optimum input gain Gant 20 30 36 dB

Noise Figure Nftot 2.5 3 3.5 dB

LNA antenna power supply

ANT_PWR 3.0 5 5.5 V <100mA

Operating temperature

Topr -40 85 °C

Power consumption P 1.5 1.8 2.0 W

2.4 Physical Characteristics

Physical Characteristics

Dimensions 67.2mm× 31.8mm

Operating Temperature -40℃～+85℃

Storage Temperature -55℃～+95℃

Humidity 95% non-condensation

Vibration GJB150.16-2009，MIL-STD-810

Impact GJB150.18-2009，MIL-STD-810

3 Hardware Design

3.1 Design in Considerations

To ensure UT4B0 works normally, the following signals shall be connected correctly:

Provide reliable power supply with DC pins

Attention to 50 ohm impedance matching of circuit for ANT_IN

2 Since the product has capacitors inside, inrush current will occur during power-on. Evaluate in the actual environment in order to check the effect of the supply voltage drop by inrush current in the system.


ANT_PWR pin is connected to +3.3~5.0V feed, and then +3.3~5.0V feed is

provided to the antenna via ANT_IN Pin

The module reset pin RST is for quick reset. Please connect it correctly to ensure

the module can be reset reliably

To achieve good performance, special attention shall be paid to the following items in the

design:

Power supply: good performance requires stable and low-ripple power supply.

The ripple voltage peak shall not exceed 50mVpp. In addition to LDO, to

guarantee the pure power supply, the following shall also be considered:

– Widen the power layout or split the copper surface to transmit the current

– Place LDO as close as possible to the module

– The power layout shall bypass the high-power and high-impedance

devices, such as magnetic coil

Interface: ensure that the signals and baud rate of the main equipment are

consistent with that of UT4B0

Avoid wiring below UT4B0

Try to keep the module away from the high temperature gas flow

3.2 Module Reset Signal

UT4B0 needs to be reset correctly before it can work normally when it is powered on. To

ensure effective reset, the reset pin RST of the module and the power supply VCC shall

meet the following timing requirements when powered on. Pulling down the RST pin for

over 5ms during normal operation of the module can also reset UT4B0.

Figure 3- 1 UT4B0 Module Reset Signal

Over 5ms

UT4B0 User Manual


3.3 Antenna

The antenna input signal pin ANT_IN of UT4B0 module provides +3.3~5.0V antenna

feed externally. When +3.3~5.0V active antenna is used in UT4B0 module, attention

shall be paid to the impedance matching of 50 ohm with the antenna.

Figure 3- 2 UT4B0 Antenna Connection Diagram

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Installation and Configuration 9

4 Installation and Configuration

4.1 ESD Handling Precautions

Most components on the UT4B0 module are static sensitive devices (SSD) and require

ESD protection for IC circuits and other devices. Perform the following protection

measures before opening antistatic plastic boxes.

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) may cause a damage to the device. All operations

should be performed on an ESD workbench using wrist straps and conductive

foam pads. If there is no anti-static workbench, wear wrist straps and connect

their other ends to the metal frame to avoid electrostatic damages;

Hold the edge of the module, do NOT touch the components directly;

Check the components carefully for excessive looseness or damage when extracting the

board. Please contact the local dealer in time and keep the packing box and blister box if

you have any questions.

4.2 Installation Guide

UT4B0 is delivered in the form of module and can be assembled flexibly according to

the application scenarios and market demands. The following figure shows the

instructions of UT4B0 typical installation with the use of evaluation kit (EVK). Users

may also use another receiver housing for installation by the same method.

Figure 4- 1 UT4B0 Installation Diagram

UT4B0 User Manual


Prerequisites

UT4B0 module and the evaluation kit (EVK) (or shell)

User manual

Command book

UPrecise software

Qualified antenna

MMCX antenna connecting cable

Desktop computer or laptop computer (Win7 and above) with serial port and

installed with relevant serial port drive and UPrecise software

Installation steps

Step 1: The user using UT4B0 evaluation kit shall align UT4B0 board at the location hole

and pin and install in the evaluation kit (EVK). EVK supplies power for board, leads out

various interfaces of the module and provides the standard interface for direct

communication with the external devices (such as PC, CAN and USB).

Figure 4- 2 UT4B0 Connection Diagram


Step 2: Select GNSS antenna with proper gain, set up the GNSS antenna in a stable and

unsheltered area and connect the antenna and the module through the coaxial RF cable.

When installing the antenna, Ant antenna interface in UT4B0 module corresponds to the

antenna at the moving base station.

Note: The RF connector of the board is SMB. Select the appropriate connecting line

according to the packaging. The input signal gain at the antenna interface is optimal

between 20-36dB. Please choose the proper antenna, antenna cable and online LNA

accordingly.

Step 3: Connect the serial ports of PC and EVK

Figure 4- 3 Connect the Serial Port of UT4B0

Step 4: Connect 12V adapter to EVK power supply and start UT4B0 module

Figure 4- 4 Power up UT4B0

UT4B0 User Manual


Step 5: Start UPrecise software installed in PC and connect the receiver through the software

Step 6: Operate the receiver through UPrecise and record relevant data

4.3 Power-on

Connect the serial port and GNSS antenna of UT4B0, start the power supply (UT4B0

supply voltage at 3.3VDC). The receiver starts and quickly establishes communication

upon being powered on.

UNICORECOMM provides dedicated test tooling for the board test.

4.4 Setting and Output

The satellite display and control software UPrecise provides a graphic interface for

users of the UT4B0 module based receiver. With the software, the user can make

various settings of the receiver conveniently and quickly obtain the receiver status and

required information. UPrecise offers the following functions:

Connect the receiver and configure the baud rate

Display the graphical window of the preliminary orientation, PRN and SNR of

the satellite (Constellation View)

Display the trajectory window of the current points and historical points of the

receiver and display the location, speed and time (Trajectory View)

Record the graphical window of various logs and issue the instructions to the

receiver (Logging Control View)

Window to issue instructions to the receiver (Console View)

Issue instructions to the receiver

Trajectory point display

Upgrade firmware

TTFF test


Figure 4- 5 Uprecise View

4.4.1 Operating Steps

1 Install the power supply and antenna according to 4.2 Installation Guide,

connect the board and switch on EVK.

2 File -> connect the serial port and set the baud rate. The default baud rate of

UT4B0 is 115200bps.

Figure 4- 6 Serial Port Configuration

3 Click the “receiver setting” button, configure NMEA message output and

click “Send”. It is recommended to configure GPGGA, GPGSV and other

statements.

UT4B0 User Manual


Figure 4- 7 Reveiver Settings

4 Directly click “Send all Message” in the data session window to complete

output of all NMEA messages (update at 1Hz). Right click the data session

window to adjust: output log font, stop/recover log output or clear logs.

5 View and use various UPrecise views and configure or input the instructions

according to requirements.

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Common Configuration Commands

15

5 Common Configuration Commands

UT4B0 supports simplified ASCII format. The simplified ASCII format without checksum

bits is easier for the user to enter commands. All commands consist of a command

header and configuration parameter (if the parameter field is empty, the command has

only one header). The header field contains the command name or message header.

UT4B0 is simple and easy to use. The common commands are shown in the following

table:

Command Description

freset Factory reset

version Query the version number

config Query the serial port status

mask BDS Disable BDS satellite system Disable BDS, GPS, GLO and GAL respectively

mask –BDS mask – Enable BDS satellite system. Enable BDS, GPS, GLO and GAL respectively; Enable all satellite systems by default

config com1 115200 Set com1 baud rate to 115200 Set com1, com2 and com3 to any baud rate in 9600, 19200, 38400, 57600, 115200, 230400 and 460800

unlog Disable all outputs

saveconfig Save settings

Timing related settings

mode base time 60 1.5 2.5

Automatically generate the reference point coordinates if the positioning time reaches 60s or when the horizontal accuracy is superior to 1.5m and the vertical accuracy is superior to 2.5m. Automatically set the reference point coordinates to repeatedly calculate and generate the new reference point coordinates after power off and restart

Mode base lat Lon height

Manually set the reference point coordinates to lat, lon, height (the reference point coordinates are not changed after power off and restart) For example: lat=40.07898324818, lon=116.23660197714, height=60.4265 Note: If the position is south latitude, enter a negative value in Lat; if the position is west longitude, enter a negative value in lon

mode rover Default mode, real-time positioning and timing

NMEA0183 output statement

gpgga comx 1

Set 1Hz output GGA message. The message type and update rate are customizable; 1, 0.5, 0.2 and 0.1 correspond to the output frequency 1Hz, 2Hz, 5Hz and 10Hz respectively; the types include GGA, RMC, ZDA, VTG

UT4B0 User Manual


16

and NTR.

gphdt comx 1

Output the course information HDT in the current moment

Course type includes HDT and TRA

PPS Configuration Command

The command sets the receiver to output the PPS pulse signal with specific period and

pulse width, and can compensate the PPS delay. Command format:

CONFIG PPS [dev parameter]

CONFIG PPS ENABLE GPS POSITIVE 500000 1000 0 0

Abbreviated ASCII syntax:

CONFIG PPS [dev device parameters]


UPS configuration command

ID Field ASCII Value Description

1 PPS -

2 switch DISABLE

Disable PPS output (when this field is set to DISABLE, all other parameters will be ignored), DISABLE by default

ENABLE Enable PPS output

3 Timeref GPST or BDST Currently only BDS and GPS are supported

4 polarity POSITIVE PPS rising edge is effective

NEGATIVE PPS falling edge is effective

5 Width Pulse width shall be less than the period

PPS pulse width (us)

6 Period Period of pulse output (ms)

Value is taken as:

50，100，200，250，500，1000，

2000，3000…，20000

7 RfDelay an integer between -32768 and 32767

RF delay (ns）

8 UserDelay an integer between -32768 and 32767

User setting delay (ns)

UT4B0 board (module) defaults PPS to be enabled. Default PPS configuration:



17

5.1 High Precision Timing Setting

High precision timing is based on the fixed position (i.e., the receiver antenna is installed

in a fixed position) to provide a stable and reliable timing output. UT4B0 supports three

timing modes: fixed-location timing, optimized-location timing, and positioning timing.

UT4B0 module is configured to the optimized-location timing mode by default.

Fixed-location timing

Fixed-location timing mode is only suitable for static applications. In this mode, users

need to input the accurate center position of the receiver antenna. UT4B0 calculates the

distance between the antenna and the satellite, based on the accurate position manually

input by the user, and reckons the local time to perform timing service.

For static timing applications, this mode provides the best timing accuracy. As it is not

necessary to calculate its own position, the timing algorithm can screen out the satellites

with low elevation and weak SNR and those may be affected by multi-path signals to the

greatest extent, to reduce the influence of these adverse factors on timing accuracy. The

precision of antenna position may also directly affect the timing performance of this

mode. In general, to avoid a significant impact on timing accuracy, the accuracy of the

antenna position provided should be higher than 1 meter.

Optimized-location timing

Optimized-location timing mode is the extension of the fixed-location timing mode. In

this mode, UT4B0 first determines the antenna position after it is powered on. The

receiver collects a certain number (observation time) of positioning points and

calculates the average of these positioning points to obtain an accurate estimation of

the antenna position. Then it locks the position and switches to fixed-location timing

mode based on the locked position.

The observation time can be set, and its length determines the accuracy of the optimized

location. In general, it is recommended to set the observation time to at least 2 hours

(7,200s) to obtain position estimation with sufficient accuracy. The position calibration is

carried out after UT4B0 is installed and the position optimization is completed, and the

timing mode in the receiver setting will automatically switch to fixed-location timing

mode. When restarted, the receiver will re-optimize the position.

Positioning timing

In this mode, UT4B0 calculates the antenna position and time in real time, and calculates

the local time. It is the only mode to support dynamic timing. But due to the impact of

UT4B0 User Manual


18

positioning accuracy, the timing accuracy in this mode is slightly lower than that of fixed-

location timing.

The commands to enter the precision coordinates to the receiver are as follows to

provide high-precision time service when the precision coordinates are known:

Mode base lat lon hgt

saveconfig

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Firmware Upgrade 19

6 Firmware Upgrade

Use UPrecise software for firmware upgrade. Click Advanced -> Firmware upgrade in

UPrecise interface.

Click “Select Path”, select UT4B0 PKG file location and click “START” (Ignore the

software reset option)

After the progress bar is loaded 100%, the tool will count the upgrade time (generally

within 5min)

UT4B0 User Manual

UC-00-M24 EN R2.1 Firmware Upgrade 20

Note: Use the serial port 1 when using a serial port for upgrading.

www.unicorecomm.com

和芯星通科技（北京）有限公司

Unicore Communications, Inc.

www.unicorecomm.com

Phone: 86-10-69939800

Fax: 86-10-69939888

[email protected]

北京市海淀区丰贤东路7号北斗星通大厦三层F3, No.7, Fengxian East Road, Haidian, Beijing, P.R.China,100094

multi-constellation, multi-frequency high precision timing ... · signals such as bds, gps,...

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