Can you briefly tell us about Trimble PX-1 RTX?
The Trimble® PX-1 RTX™ solution provides accurate and robust precise positioning and heading as a service for commercial drone delivery applications. It allows operators precise control of a drone during takeoff and landing in order to tackle more demanding operations in tight or partially obstructed spaces. It also minimizes operational risks from poor sensor performance or magnetic interference by ensuring greater positioning redundancy, which is especially important as commercial drone delivery operations venture into increasingly difficult urban and suburban environments.
Will it be useful on Multi rotors & Fixed Wings? How does it help the drone?
The Trimble PX-1 RTX can be used with either multi-rotors or fixed wing uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The PX-1 RTX aids drones in several ways:
- Achieving centimeter-level positioning performance without a need for supplying RTK corrections from a dedicated ground base station improves and simplifies the drone hardware design as well as ground operation.
- Removes base line limitations, i.e., the distance between GNSS rover and ground base station, for beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) operations.
- Contributes to the efficiency and productivity of the drone by making it possible to plan missions with increased trajectory accuracy.
- The robustness of an inertial-based navigation solution with continuous precise positioning and attitude/heading information provides autopilot with a key guidance ingredient during take-off and landing stages.
What are the different industries and applications that can benefit from this platform?
The PX-1 RTX solution is specifically focused on delivering landing and takeoff guidance, precise navigation, and flight control to the Advanced Air Mobility market. In particular, the PX-1 RTX focuses on the cargo and parcel delivery markets at this time.
What is ProPoint GNSS & Applanix IN-Fusion+?
Trimble ProPoint™ is a fifth generation high-precision positioning engine engineered to provide position and orientation data from the fusion of GNSS signals, globally accessible high-accuracy correction services, and measurement data from a variety of sensors. It leverages the latest developments in GNSS signal infrastructure and Trimble’s high-precision receiver hardware to deliver improved positioning performance in challenging environments.
Trimble Applanix IN-Fusion+ GNSS-aided inertial firmware with Trimble ProPoint GNSS positioning technology runs data from inertial sensors (accelerometers and gyros) through a navigation algorithm, which is then “aided” or “fused” together with information from other sensors such as GNSS and odometer (Distance Measurement Indicator or DMI) to produce highly accurate, high-rate 3D measurements of the position, velocity and orientation of a platform as it moves. Trimble Applanix In-Fusion+ technology provides the highest level of navigation sensor integration producing measurements with an unequaled level of accuracy and robustness.
What is Trimble CenterPoint RTX?
Trimble CenterPoint® RTX is an exclusive, advanced precise point positioning technology providing real-time, centimeter-level corrections as a service. Available via IP/cellular or satellite delivery worldwide, CenterPoint RTX is suitable for all industries providing next-level accuracy and maximized workflow efficiency.
The Trimble CenterPoint RTX network provides multi-frequency GNSS technology that employs its own dedicated precise ephemeris correction service and derives integer-level ambiguities for accuracy approaching that of RTK. It supports GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS.
Trimble RTX is key to the overall PX-1 RTX solution in that it allows for the elimination of any base station infrastructure required for navigation and landing. As a global service it is available virtually anywhere in the world.
What GNSS antennas are supported?
When it comes to performance, the antenna is a critical element in any GNSS integration. The optimum antenna choice is subject to a particular UAV platform when it comes to size, weight and shape. Trimble Applanix offers a number of GNSS antenna products ranging from light weight helical technology (AV17/AV18) to fully certified FAA antennas (AV39/AV37). All antennas are active devices, powered directly through PX-1 RTX, providing triple frequency GNSS and L-band tracking for over the air correction service.
What does a PX-1 RTX subscription include and what is the cost?
The PX-1 RTX solution includes the hardware (i.e., PX-1 RTX) along with the global real-time Trimble RTX service, as pictured below:
The PX-1 RTX solution is available as a one, three or five year subscription service under an OEM Supply Agreement with Trimble Applanix. The OEM Supply Agreement also features volume pricing for quantity purchases.
