SEPTENTRIO AsteRx SBi3 User manual

AsteRx SBi3
User Manual

User Manual Revision 1.0
Applicable to version 1.3.0 of the AsteRx SBi3 firmware
May 06, 2021
Thank you for choosing the AsteRx SBi3! This user manual provides detailed instructions on
how to use AsteRx SBi3 and we recommend that you read it carefully before you start using
the device.
Please note that this manual provides descriptions of all functionalities of the AsteRx
SBi3 product family however, the particular AsteRx SBi3 you purchased may not support
functions specific to certain variants.
While we try to keep the manual as complete and up-to-date as possible, it may be
that future features, functionality or other product specifications change without prior
notice or obligation. The information contained in this manual is subject to change without
notice. We recommend you to look for new or updated information in our Knowledge Base
at https://customersupport.septentrio.com/s/topiccatalog
© Copyright 2000-2021 Septentrio NV/SA. All rights reserved.
Septentrio
Greenhill Campus, Interleuvenlaan 15i
3001 Leuven, Belgium
http://www.septentrio.com
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Septentrio
2

CONTENTS
Contents
1 Introduction 4
1.1 USER NOTICES ............................................................................... 4
1.1.1 CENotice ........................................................................... 4
1.1.2 ROHS/WEEE Notice................................................................ 4
1.1.3 Safety information ................................................................ 5
1.1.4 Support............................................................................. 6
2 AsteRx SBi3 Overview 7
2.1 PHYSICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS ...................................... 7
2.2 POWER CONSUMPTION ..................................................................... 7
2.3 POWERING THE RECEIVER .................................................................. 8
2.4 ASTERXSBI3DESIGN ....................................................................... 9
2.4.1 FrontPanel......................................................................... 9
2.4.2 RearPanel.......................................................................... 9
2.4.3 Topcase ............................................................................ 9
3 Configuring the AsteRx SBi3 11
3.1 CONNECTING TO THE ASTERXSBI3....................................................... 11
3.1.1 Connecting via Ethernet using the web interface............................. 11
3.1.2 Connecting via COM .............................................................. 12
3.2 HOW TO MEASURE AND COMPENSATE FOR THE ANTENNA LEVER ARM ................ 13
3.3 HOW TO COMPENSATE FOR DEVIATIONS IN THE ANTENNA ORIENTATION ............. 14
3.4 HOW TO COMPENSATE ALTERNATIVE IMU/RECEIVER ORIENTATIONS .................. 17
3.5 HOW TO SEE IF THE IMU IS OUTPUTTING DATA?......................................... 20
3.6 VEHICLE VELOCITY INPUT .................................................................. 22
4 Common Receiver Operations 23
4.1 HOW TO CONFIGURE SBF AND NMEA OUTPUT ......................................... 23
4.1.1 Output over a serial COM connection .......................................... 23
4.1.2 Output over Ethernet ............................................................. 27
4.2 HOW TO LOG DATA .......................................................................... 31
4.2.1 Internal logging .................................................................... 31
4.3 DOWNLOADING LOGGED DATA FROM THE RECEIVER ..................................... 34
Appendix A Rear-panel port descriptions 35
A.1 PWR-COM2&3/USB ....................................................................... 35
A.2 COM1-GPIO ................................................................................ 36
A.3 ETH .......................................................................................... 37
A.4 MAIN ANT / AUX ANT (TNC) ............................................................ 37
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1 Introduction
1.1 User Notices
1.1.1 CE Notice
AsteRx SBi3 receivers carry the CE mark and are as such compliant
with the 2014/53/EU âĂŞ Radio Equipment Directive (RED), 2011/65/EU
âĂŞ Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive and 93/68/EC
- CE-marking Directive.
With regards to EMC, the AsteRx SBi3 receiver is declared as class
A, suitable for residential or business environment. In a domestic
environment this product may cause radio interference in which case the
user may be required to take adequate measures.
1.1.2 ROHS/WEEE Notice
The AsteRx SBi3 is compliant with the latest WEEE,
RoHS and REACH directives. For more information see
www.septentrio.com/en/environmental-compliance.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.3 Safety information
Statement 1: The power supply provided by Septentrio (if any) should
not be replaced by another. If the receiver is used with a different
power supply than provided by Septentrio, it must have a double isolated
construction and must match the specifications of the provided power
supply. In addition, the power supplies needs to comply with safety
standard IEC 62368-1 and SELV.
Statement 2: Ultimate disposal of this product should be handled
according to all national laws and regulations.
Statement 3: The equipment and all the accessories included with this
product may only be used according to the specifications in the delivered
release note, manual or other documents delivered with the receiver.
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CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1.4 Support
For first-line support please contact your AsteRx SBi3 dealer.
Additional documentation can be found in the following manuals:
•The AsteRx SBi3 Reference Guide (contained inside the Firmware Package zip on
our website) includes information on the receiver operation, the full list of receiver
commands and a description of the format and contents of all SBF (Septentrio Binary
Format) blocks.
•The RxTools Manual covers the RxTools software suite, including RxControl and
RxLogger.
The Septentrio website has a dedicated Support section
(http://www.septentrio.com/support), where the User Manual, the Firmware Reference
Guide and the latest officially supported Firmware version are readily available for download.
In case the AsteRx SBi3 does not behave as expected and you need to contact Septentrio’s
Technical Support department, you should attach a short SBF log file containing the support
blocks and a Diagnostic Report of the receiver.
http://www.septentrio.com
Headquarters
Septentrio NV Phone: [phone]
Greenhill Campus Fax: [phone]
Interleuvenlaan 15i, sales septentrio.com
3001 Leuven,
Belgium
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CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SBI3 OVERVIEW
2 AsteRx SBi3 Overview
The AsteRx SBi3 is a housed INS solution which fuses multi-frequency and multi-constellation
GNSS with an industrial-grade IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit), delivering precise
positioning, 3D orientation and coasting functionality. IP68 compliant, this housed high
performance GNSS/INS system is ideal for rapid integration into machine control or safety
applications.
The AsteRx SBi3 can be used as a dual antenna GNSS/INS receiver for systems with any kind
of motion pattern. It can also be used as a single antenna receiver for systems with no slip
motion.
Use of the AsteRx SBi3 as a single antenna INS solution should be limited to use cases where
the heading of the vehicle matches the direction of motion.
2.1 Physical and Environmental Specifications
Size: 102 x 36 x 118 mm (4.0 x 1.4 x 4.6 in)
Weight: 490 g (17.3 oz)
Operating temperature: -30 ◦C to +65 ◦C
(-22 ◦F to +149 ◦F)
Storage temperature: -40 ◦C to +75 ◦C
(-40 ◦F to +167 ◦F)
Ingress Protection: IP68
Humidity MIL-STD-810G, Method 507.5, Procedure I
Dust MIL-STD-810G, Method 510.5, Procedure I
Shock MIL-STD-810G, Method 516.6, Procedure I/II
Vibration MIL-STD-810G, Method 514.6, Procedure I
2.2 Power Consumption
Input voltage: 5 to 36V DC
Power consumption: 1.3 W typical (GPS/GLONAS L1/L2)
1.5 W typical (all signals, all constellations)
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CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SBI3 OVERVIEW
The power consumption of the AsteRx SBi3 depends on its configuration. The following
settings directly influence the amount of power consumed:
•The number of enabled GNSS frequency bands. For example, a receiver configured
to track signals only in the L1 and L2 bands will consume less than a receiver
configured to track in the L1, L2 and L5 bands. Use the setSignalTracking command
to enable/disable signals. Note that a given frequency band is disabled only when all
GNSS signals in that band are disabled.
•The activation of the Ethernet interface. In power-critical applications, it is
recommended to not use Ethernet and to turn offthe associated hardware. This can
be done with the setEthernetMode command.
•The activation of the Wideband Interference mitigation (WBI) with the
setWBIMitigation command.
The following table shows the nominal power consumption measured when 12 VDC is
supplied to the PWR connector:
Configuration Typical Power
Consumption
GPS + GLONASS L1 + L2, RTK, Single antenna (externally
powered), 10Hz internal logging active 1.3 W
GPS + GLONASS L1 + L2, RTK, Dual antenna (externally
powered), 10Hz internal logging active 1.65 W
Ethernet on +0.3 W
Antenna powered Antenna type
dependent
2.3 Powering the receiver
The receiver can be powered through either:
•The PWR connector (5 to 36 VDC)
•The Ethernet connector (Power over Ethernet - PoE, 37-57 VDC). (Please note that only
mode A, as specified in the 802.3af standard, is supported.)
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CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SBI3 OVERVIEW
2.4 AsteRx SBi3 design
2.4.1 Front Panel
The AsteRx SBi3’s front panel features two antenna TNC connectors.
Figure 2-1: The front panel of the AsteRx SBi3
2.4.2 Rear Panel
Figure 2-2 shows the layout of the rear-panel connectors of the AsteRx SBi3. The rear panel
has three connectors: a 7-pin female PWR-COM2/3/USB socket, a 7-pin female COM1-GPIO
socket and a 4-pin female ETH socket. A full description of the connector PIN layout of the
rear panel ports can be found in Appendix A.
Figure 2-2: The rear panel of the AsteRx SBi3
2.4.3 Top case
The AsteRx SBi3’s top of the case shows the Septentrio logo as well as the engraving of the
IMU reference point, to be used for defining the antenna lever arm (see section 3.2). There
is an offset of 17 mm on the Z axis (as indicated in the engraving) to be accounted for during
the lever arm measurement.
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CHAPTER 2. ASTERX SBI3 OVERVIEW
Figure 2-3: The top of the AsteRx SBi3
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
3 Configuring the AsteRx SBi3
3.1 Connecting to the AsteRx SBi3
3.1.1 Connecting via Ethernet using the web
interface
Step 1: Connect the Power and Ethernet cables
Connect the Ethernet cable to the connector labeled ’ETH’on the rear panel of the receiver
as shown in Figure 3-1 and make sure it is connected to a LAN network. Then connect the
power cable to the receiver and make sure the correct input voltage is applied (between 4.5
and 36 V DC).
Figure 3-1: Rear panel Ethernet socket
Step 2: Open a web browser and connect to the AsteRx SBi3
By default, the AsteRx SBi3 has the hostname ’http://asterxsbi3-xxxxxxx’, where xxxxxxx are
the 7 digits of the serial number of the receiver board inside the AsteRx SBi3. This hostname
can be used on a local area network to connect to the AsteRx SBi3 if the IP address assigned
by the DHCP server is unknown. The hostname can be found on a sticker on the bottom of
the receiver housing. Figure 3-2 shows a screenshot of an Ethernet connection to a receiver
with serial number 9900035 using ’http://asterxsbi3-9900035’.
Figure 3-2: Connecting to the Web Interface via Ethernet
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
3.1.2 Connecting via COM
In case you do not have an Ethernet cable or LAN network available, you may still connect to
the receiver using one of the receiver’s COM ports and RxControl.
Step 1: Connect the Power and COM cables
Connect the COM cable to the connector labeled ’COM-GPIO’on the rear panel of the receiver
as shown in Figure 3-3 and connect the other end to a computer. It may be necessary to use a
serial-to-USB converter if the computer does not have a serial port. Now connect the power
cable to the receiver and make sure the correct input voltage is applied (between 4.5 and 36
V DC).
Figure 3-3: Rear panel COM1 socket
Step 2: Open RxControl and connect to the AsteRx SBi3
Once connected, open RxControl on the computer to which the receiver is connected and
follow the sequence of steps described in Figure 3-4 to open a connection to the AsteRx SBi3.
Note that RxControl is part of the RxTools software suite which can be freely downloaded
from the Septentrio website.
Figure 3-4: Connecting to the receiver via COM using RxControl. Select ’Serial
Connection’and choose ’Create New’. Next, choose the correct serial port, define a
name for the connection and press Finish.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
3.2 How to measure and compensate for the
Antenna Lever Arm
The antenna lever-arm is the relative position between the IMU reference point and the GNSS
Antenna Reference Point (ARP). The IMU reference point is clearly marked on the top panel
of the receiver. Refer to the data sheet of your GNSS antenna for the exact location of the
ARP.
It is important to compensate for the effect of the lever arm, otherwise the receiver may
not be able to calculate an accurate INS position. The higher the accuracy of the lever-arm
dimensions, the better the accuracy of the INS solution calculated by the receiver. As shown
in Figure 3-5, lever arm offsets can occur in three dimensions.
Figure 3-5: Example of the relative IMU/antenna position in the vehicle’s frame
(in blue). In this example, the lever arm X and Y components are equal to X’and Y’
(positive), while the Z component is Z’(negative) + 1.7cm.
Values representing the relative position of the main antenna ARP with respect to the IMU
reference point in the three dimensions of the vehicle reference frame can be provided to the
receiver in the web interface under GNSS/INS > External Sensor Setup as shown in Figure 3-6.
Note that in order to correctly reference to the antenna’s ARP, it is necessary to compensate
for phase center variations. This can be done in the web interface by going to GNSS/INS >
Position and selecting the correct antenna type in the ’Antenna Information’ field.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-6: Setting the lever arm offsets.
The External Setup page in the receiver web interface provides a visualization tool that allows
users to get an idea of the relative positioning of the ARP and POIin the vehicle reference
frame with given lever-arm settings.
Accurately determining the lever-arm can be difficult. Ideally, both the IMU and the antenna
are installed in known locations so that existing 3D models can be used to determine the
lever-arm offsets in the X, Y and Z dimensions. If the locations of either the antenna or the
IMU are not known, point clouds obtained from 3D laser scanning or similar techniques
could be used to build a reference frame that allows for the lever-arm to be accurately
measured. For temporary setups or test purposes where the accuracy of the INS solution
is not of paramount importance, it may be sufficient to measure the lever arm manually,
e.g. using a tape ruler. However, this should never be the method of choice for permanent
installations.
3.3 How to compensate for deviations in the
antenna orientation
The attitude of a vehicle can be determined from the orientation of the baseline between
two antennas attached to the vehicle. By default, the receiver determines the attitude angles
assuming that the baseline between the antenna ARP is parallel to the longitudinal axis of
the vehicle. Attitude biases appear when this is not the case. The user can provide the value
of the attitude offset angles in the web interface under GNSS/INS > INS/Attitude > Advanced
as shown in Figure 3-7. Providing this information will let the receiver compensate for the
offsets before calculating the attitude by subtracting them from the attitude angles.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-7: Setting the attitude offset.
In many cases the antenna baseline will not align perfectly with the vehicle’s longitudinal axis
or its perpendicular and in these circumstances the provided attitude offset value can also be
used to compensate for small angular deviations. Note that, in order to ensure the integrity
of the solution, offsets greater than 5 degrees from the longitudinal axis or its perpendicular
are not recommended.
An increase in angle between the antenna baseline and the vehicle’s longitudinal axis in the
clockwise direction corresponds to a positive change in the value of the heading offset To
better explain this, a few examples of possible setups are given below in Figure 3-8.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-8: Examples of a number of antenna setups and the corresponding
heading offsets. a.) The default setup for which the angle between the antenna
baseline and the longitudinal axis is 0 and no heading offset needs to be set. b.) a
slight deviation (5Âř) from the longitudinal axis in the clockwise direction is reflected
by a positive increase in the heading offset. c.) An alternative antenna configuration
where the antennas are placed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. d.) An
alternative antenna configuration where the antennas are placed perpendicular to
the longitudinal axis with a small deviation.
The examples above all relate to a heading offset but the antenna orientation can also
be characterized by a vertical offset. Vertical offsets can be compensated for by adjusting
the Pitch offset. This may be necessary in cases where the antenna baseline is not exactly
parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle or in situations where the two antenna ARPs
may not be exactly at the same height in the vehicle reference frame. Since pitch is defined
as the right-handed rotation about the vehicle Y axis, a situation where the main antenna is
mounted lower than the aux antenna (assuming the default antenna setup) will result in a
positive pitch a shown in Figure 3-9.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-9: Visual representation of the effect of vertical offset between the two
antennas on the Pitch offset. Assuming the default antenna configuration, the aux
antenna being mounted higher will result in a positive value for the pitch.
3.4 How to compensate alternative
IMU/Receiver orientations
It is important to take into consideration the mounting direction of the receiver, therefore
the IMU, in the body frame of the vehicle. To correctly translate the motion of the receiver
in the same axes of the body frame it is essential to account for the differences in the axes
orientations.
As such, for many installations, including when the receiver is installed horizontally with the
front panel facing the direction of travel, it will be necessary to compensate for the IMU’s
orientation to make sure the IMU reference frame is aligned with the vehicle reference frame.
The IMU’s orientation can be changed by specifying the orientation angles (Theta X, Theta Y,
Theta Z) as shown in Figure 3-10.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-10: Setting the IMU orientation.
Examples of typical receiver installations in a vehicle frame are given in Figure 3-11.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
Figure 3-11: Examples illustrating the orientation of the IMU reference frame with
the associated IMU orientation for the depicted installation.
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CHAPTER 3. CONFIGURING THE ASTERX SBI3
3.5 How to see if the IMU is outputting data?
An easy way to determine if communication is taking place between the IMU and the GNSS
receiver is by inspecting the External Sensor Setup page where the data stream connection
is indicated and the raw sensor data can be visualized. When the IMU is communicating to
the GNSS receiver, there should be a line visible between the AsteRx SBi3 and SPIas shown
in Figure 3-12.
Figure 3-12: The Data Stream window on the Overview page should show a line
symbolizing a connection between the AsteRx SBi3 and the IMU which is connected
to SPI.
A more robust way of verifying that the IMU is not only connected but that the IMU data is
being received and processed correctly involves inspecting the IMU View in RxControl or web
interface. After establishing a connection with the AsteRx SBi3 using RxControl, navigate to
View > IMU View as shown in Figure 3-13. The acceleration and angular rate plots should
display information similar as shown in Figure 3-13. These plots are based on the unfiltered
IMU sensor measurements and provide an unambiguous way of checking that the IMU is
outputting data.
20