What led to the Versa PNT?

Garrett Payne

It is an all-in-one PNT solution that provides positioning, navigation, and very accurate timing. We can take in GNSS signals, as well as the satellite signals, and integrates that with an IMU for a fused solution. I work on the navigation filter and software inside it. So, I’ve been able to get deep into developing and fine tuning the filter inside for an assured and robust navigation solution. I’ve been able to integrate some other new kinds of PNT technology into that as well. So, I’ve been working on projects with integrating odometry for speed and measurements from a vision-based sensor for position fixing. Those are all complementary PNT sources that help the Versa. You always have a good fused solution, even if you’re in a GNSS-degraded/denied environment.

It sounds like a sort of extreme sensor fusion, integrating every possible PNT source.

Correct. GNSS has global coverage, of course, while some positioning sources, such as UWB, are very local.

Can a Versa on a mobile platform transition seamlessly from one to the other?

It’s all very configurable. You can plug-and-play the sensors that you have. Then, you can check the integrity of each measurement source. For example, if you’re in a GNSS-degraded environment, the Versa has some software that can alert you to that and will automatically filter out those measurements, and then navigate based on the other sensors.

With UWB, if there’s nothing local and already mapped out, could you set up some transmitters very quickly, as needed?

Versa PNT. (Image: Safran Federal Systems (formerly Orolia Defense & Security))

Our goal with this project of integrating UWB technology is to identify the exact sensors that we would need. Then it would just be plug-and-play: you would take a Versa unit and plug in a UWB sensor, and it would be able to automatically detect that and talk to other Versa systems that have UWB transceivers. Once we get all the software figured out, it will be simple in GNSS-denied environments for these UWB transceivers to start talking to each other.

If you have units within a building that all have Versa PNTs with UWB, they can see each other’s relative position, but not their absolute position. However, if one of them is located at a known point, such as the entrance or a corner, that would serve as a reference for the other ones to know where they are within the building.

Right. The technology is proven. There are already sensors that do that in warehouses and other large buildings. We want to take that idea and expand it to other GNSS-denied/degraded locations. It would be the same concept: one Versa unit goes on the edge of an area and knows its location, then broadcasts it to other Versa units with UWB technology, enabling them to determine their absolute location as well.

If 50 meters is not enough to get outside the GNSS-denied/degraded area, you might set up a chain or a mash of as many units as needed.

Correct.

What’s your rough timeline to go live?

Currently, we’re evaluating UWB computer technology from different vendors and integrating it in the software portion. We will probably begin performing full field tests in the first quarter of 2024.

Are there any non-defense applications, such as with first responders?
We also provide very accurate beaconing signals that are used for location purposes. So, this is an additional technology that can be used in GNSS-degraded locations — such as deep urban canyons, jungles, or inside buildings — as long as long as you’re within range of the UWB transceiver.

You could accurately survey a point inside a structure ahead of time. Then you could place your UWB transmitter in that surveyed spot and provide the coordinates to other units for use in positioning.

Right, right. If you’re thinking of a very large building in a city, on every floor you could have a beacon in a very accurately surveyed location. So, if you’re in a rush, you can automatically determine your range from different beacons and use that data to determine your position.

How long has Versa PNT been available? Did it evolve from a previous solution you had?

Our company has been founded on timing. We have VersaSync, which provides very accurate timing signals. We’ve extended on that by adding a navigation solution. Many of our customers are using the timing portion of our platforms to generate very accurate frequency reference signals. It also provides an assured navigation solution by fusing GNSS and inertial data.

What markets and applications are you targeting?

Versa PNT. (Image: Safran Federal Systems (formerly Orolia Defense & Security))

We’re providing precise position, timing, and situational awareness for different applications. Our systems can be used for ground, air, and sea-based applications. We specifically at Orolia Defense and Security [now Safran Federal Systems] market towards the U.S. government, defense organizations, and contractors. Our systems have applications beyond defense and security, as they can be used anywhere accurate position and/or timing is needed.

How does the Versa fit into the larger debate about developing complementary PNT capabilities to compensate for the vulnerabilities of GNSS?

It is an expensive, high-end solution that fits a few niches. Every type of sensor that you’re using for PNT has its strengths and weaknesses. That’s why we have a very accurate navigation filter solution that dynamically evaluates the sensor inputs. GNSS is great but not always accurate or available. Other sensors are also not always reliable. That’s why we try to make the unit and the software inside it as customizable and flexible as possible.

Can you give me a couple of use cases?

If a ground vehicle application is entering a GNSS denied/degraded environment, the Versa PNT’s software will detect any kind of GNSS threat. So, it’s going to cut off the GNSS speed and continue to provide a PNP solution based on inputs from the other sensors — such as an IMU, a speedometer, an odometer, or a camera. They’re all providing you different position feeds, so that you can still have an insured position.
The VersaPNT also contains internal oscillators that can provide very accurate timing signals.

An IMU-derived position drifts, of course, so it needs to be periodically re-initialized.

That’s why it’s important to use a navigation filter that’s initialized with a good position from GNSS or other sources, so that you can estimate and dynamically correct the IMU drift using bias terms and offsets.

<p>The post PNT by Other Means: Safran Federal Systems first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Recognized for its outstanding technology achievements and the potential for impact to the United States Army and Department of Defense (DOD), Orolia Defense & Security was selected by a panel of judges as a finalist during the 2021 xTech Plugfest competition.

Hosted by PEO IEW&S, PM-PNT, the event allowed industry participants to demonstrate C5ISR/EW Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) capabilities via PNT cards, switch cards and chassis.

The event took place at the Open Innovation Laboratory (OIL) on Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, Nov. 8-19, 2021.

Photo: Orolia

CMOSS prescribes criteria for integrators that reduce the size, weight, and power (SWaP) of C5ISR and EW systems while increasing their flexibility and adaptability by enabling the sharing of hardware and software components.

Orolia submitted a CMOSS timing card and was formally recognized as a top five winner at OIL’s open house (with 200+ attendees) for demonstrating its capabilities and commitment to supporting the U.S. Army and DOD in pursuit of CMOSS PNT solutions.

“I am extremely proud of our team for their efforts and sharp-wittedness in developing and presenting this technology at an accelerated level,” said Conrad Meyer, director of business development at Orolia Defense & Security. “We are honored to have taken part in this event and to be distinguished among many contenders.”

Orolia’s prototype has a plug-and-play architecture powered by its FlexFusion engine, with additional capability for jamming and spoofing detection via its patented BroadShield software. It is designed for easy in-field upgradability.

Orolia plans this year to release a commercially available, fully compliant CMOSS/SOSA PNT card for use in military air and ground-mounted systems.

<p>The post US Army selects Orolia Defense & Security as winner in XTech Plugfest first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Orolia Defense & Security released the latest addition to its GNSS simulator family — BroadSim Solo — at the Institute of Navigation Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) taking place this week in Covington, Kentucky.

The Solo joins the BroadSim line of Skydel-powered GNSS simulators, which includes models suited for hardware-in-the-loop and multi-element antenna/controlled reception pattern antenna (CRPA) testing.

Live demonstrations of BroadSim Solo are taking place in the JNC Exhibit Hall at Orolia Defense & Security booth No. 117 through Aug. 26. Orolia provides M-code solutions for resilient positioning, navigation and timing.

BroadSim Solo shares the same Skydel simulation engine that runs on a standard BroadSim, BroadSim Anechoic and BroadSim Wavefront. It supports advanced scenario creation features and the benefits provided by a software-defined architecture such as high dynamics, a 1000-Hz iteration update rate and ultra-low latency of 5 ms.

Photo: Orolia

Nearly all civilian GNSS signals can be generated through the Solo’s single RF output (one frequency band at a time), along with jamming or spoofing signals, and GPS AES M-code. AES is an encryption method; rather than using the MNSA encryption, it is possible to use AES for testing purposes only.

BroadSim Solo’s compact form factor is designed to do away with bulk, fitting comfortably at a typical desk or workstation. Plus, the Solo addresses the permanent challenge engineers face with laboratory capacity and availability.

“Creating complex test scenarios can be a tedious process, especially when emulating challenged environments,” said Tim Erbes, director of engineering for Orolia Defense & Security. “Having the ability to create scripts at your desk significantly frees up lab time and space for running these important simulations. Also, scenario creation is no longer limited to one person fixed to one system. Imagine a team of engineers, each with a BroadSim Solo, simultaneously building tests. Having a whole fleet of BroadSim Solos? It’s game-changing.”

BroadSim Solo with the Skydel simulation engine offers an intuitive user interface, a comprehensive API supporting Python, C++ and C#, and automation tools and custom plugins that will speed up development cycles, increase performance and ultimately drive innovation.

“In an effort to enhance the customer experience and expand the reach of advanced GNSS simulators, we wanted to offer an affordable solution with all of the same core features as our most advanced BroadSim systems,” said Tyler Hohman, director of products for Orolia Defense & Security. “This gives our customers the opportunity to place more simulators in the hands of engineers and scientists without sacrificing capabilities. Our hope is that customers will find value in having a simulation ecosystem that is scalable based on their requirements.”

Photo: Orolia

<p>The post Orolia adds new GNSS simulator to BroadSim product line first appeared on GPS World.</p>

Photo: Orolia

Orolia Defense & Security has been granted security approval by SMC Production Corps. for BroadSim MNSA (modernized Navstar security algorithm).

The company delivered its first batch of MNSA M-Code to multiple customers in late August. BroadSim MNSA joins P(Y)-Code and AES M-Code as another GPS encrypted signal that Orolia Defense & Security supports, the company said.

Thought, skill, and patience went into developing this solution,” said Tyler Hohman, director of products at Orolia. “Not only have we taken an innovative approach to ensuring the security of this technology, our implementation was designed with ease of use being top-of-mind — from procurement, to delivery, to installation, to testing — so our customers can spend more time supporting their mission and less time making their simulator work.”

According to Orolia, BroadSim is a proven and trusted solution among government, Department of Defense and military customers with more than 100 systems fielded. BroadSim was recently selected by the U.S. military to support diverse testing of military GPS receivers, the company added.

BroadSim MNSA users receive a step-by-step guide allowing them to effortlessly set-up and generate MNSA in minutes and quickly downgrade the system on a moment’s notice, Orolia said.

The capability is currently available as a software upgrade to current BroadSim users or as a purchase alongside Orolia’s BroadSim hardware platform.

Orolia Defense & Security, which operates as a proxy-regulated company and wholly-owned subsidiary of Orolia, provides resilient PNT solutions to U.S. government agencies, defense organizations and their contractors.

<p>The post Orolia presents software-defined GNSS simulator with MNSA first appeared on GPS World.</p>

The BroadSim Advanced GNSS Simulator (Photo: Orolia)

Orolia Defense & Security offers a range of solutions that support critical positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) systems for Navigation Warfare (NAVWAR) domains. Orolia is approved to work on the full spectrum of U.S. government classified and unclassified projects and is positioned to support strategic partnerships in the development of key positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) technologies for the defense market.

BroadSim Advanced GNSS Simulator. Powered by the Skydel software engine, BroadSim provides software-defined features and benefits, with additional capabilities and specifications for applications requiring maximum security and compliance. With 100+ units fielded, BroadSim is trusted by the U.S. government, military and industry.

Broadsim supports encrypted signals (Y-code, M-AES, and M-MNSA) and provides advanced jamming and spoofing simulation. Scalable configurations for testing CRPA/antenna electronics systems (anechoic and wavefront) are available. BroadSim has four independent RF outputs and runs on a custom Linux operating system.

Interference Detection & Mitigation (IDM). Orolia’s IDM technology is patented, rigorously tested and field proven for more than a decade, while regularly updated to conform to new and emerging threats. BroadShield provides embedded GPS jamming and spoofing detection, serving as a kill switch. BroadSense offers mobile detection for situational awareness, and ThreatBlocker provides protection with in-line detection and suppression.

Resilient PNT. Orolia’s resilient PNT solutions improve the reliability, performance and safety of customers’ mission-critical operations for air, land, sea and space applications.

The 8230 AJ GPS/GNSS anti-jam outdoor antenna is a high-gain (40-dB) GNSS outdoor antenna with a unique conical pattern that rejects interference from the horizon. IP67-rated, it is designed for harsh environments.

The VersaPNT provides a rugged and resilient PNT source. The all-in-one customizable system delivers accurate, software-configurable PNT signals and high-performance for mobile applications in GNSS-degraded and denied environments.

<p>The post GNSS simulation critical for NAVWAR testing first appeared on GPS World.</p>