Single-chip positioning device for global navigation systems

STMicroelectronics introduces its Teseo II that ushers the generation of single-chip stand-alone positioning receivers for Portable Navigation Devices, in-car navigation and telematics applications. These Systems-on-Chips are monolithic devices capable of receiving signals from multiple satellite navigation systems including GPS, GALILEO, GLONASS and QZSS. The Teseo II family combines high positioning accuracy and indoor sensitivity performance with powerful processing capabilities and superior design flexibility.

The ability of these positioning devices to acquire the position, velocity and time data from all major global navigation systems greatly enhances the user's position accuracy and navigation in poor satellite visibility conditions, such as in urban canyons. These chips also offer short signal-acquisition times (Time To First Fix), taking advantage of ST's Self-Trained Assisted GPS technology, which improves the startup performance of a positioning device in difficult signal conditions. These chips are qualified to AEC-Q100, a critical stress-test qualification for automotive integrated circuits, and manufactured using ST's rigorous automotive production flow methodology aimed at zero parts-per-million failure rate.

Being a stand-alone solution, the Teseo II positioning receiver integrates a powerful ARM9 core for on-chip data processing. Further increasing cost-effectiveness, the unique open-platform approach provides the ARM9 processing capability and a rich set of peripherals for flexible customer application designs. The peripherals include USB 2.0, A/D converter, I2C, MSP, UART and general-purpose I/Os.

Availability: Samples of ST's Teseo II receivers (STA8088EX) are now available. Volume production is slated for Q3 2011. Unit pricing of the STA8088EX is below US$6 for volumes in the range of 500,000 unit-quantities.