GNSS location IC offers geofence features

Broadcom Corp. has announced what it flaunts as the industry's first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) chip that allows geofence capabilities while preserving battery life. The BCM47521 enables always-on, location-aware applications such as social networking, place-based mobile commerce and local merchant advertising, stated the company.

The geofence feature enables the application to receive a notification when a user enters or exits a virtual perimeter. However, the implementation of this feature in traditional architectures is not viable as the applications processor needs to run constantly, causing rapid drain to the device's battery. Broadcom's BCM47521 overcomes this issue, making it possible to continuously monitor geofence areas while consuming 60x less battery power.

The BCM47521 claims to provide the industry's most advanced multi-constellation support by simultaneously collecting data from four satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, QZSS and SBAS) and using the best received signals, resulting in faster searches and more accurate real-time navigation. Broadcom also said its multi-constellation technology, coupled with advanced signal processing, provides faster positioning performance for improved user experience, especially in challenging urban environments where buildings and obstructions can dramatically impact accuracy and time-to-first-fix.

The BCM47521 is in production and will be shipping in handsets by 2Q13.