GeoLink Introduction

GeoLink module is aiding peripheral for Spirit System units. It is utilizing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to acquire absolute position on Earth. To further improve precision it is embedded with Pressure, Temperature, Humidity sensors and also Gyroscope, Accelerometer and Compass sensors. All the signals are processed in a dedicated 32bit processor. This makes it extraordinary solution for R/C models.

A satellite navigation system with global coverage consists from:

• GPS
• GLONASS
• BeiDou
• Galileo

The module can use all these navigation systems at the same time. GNSS technology itself is able to provide precision of up to 2 meters. But thanks to all the algorithms and sensors it was possible to improve the precision by one order.

1 GNSS signal

In order to operate correctly, it is crucial to provide optimal operational conditions that are mainly secured by correct module mounting on R/C model. It is always beneficial to ensure the best conditions as it is directly related to positioning precision, GNSS signal stability and time to first fix (TTFF). Any mounting improvement that can be done is helpful.

2 Time To First Fix

Whenever powering the module it starts by searching for all nearby satellites. This procedure takes a certain period until strong enough signal is found. Length of the period is directly associated with module mounting and possible interference. If conditions are good the TTFF takes usually around 30 seconds. But thanks to advanced features implemented in GeoLink the period can be greatly reduced down to 6 seconds. Thus the module can be fully operable immediately after initialization of the Spirit unit. This is described in the Features section.