Taiyo Yuden Exhibits Fingertip-Size GPS Module

Apr 20, 2007 19:08 Hiroki Yomogita, Nikkei Electronics

Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd. has developed and presented a compact GPS receiver module at the TECHNO-FRONTIER 2007 event, which began on April 18, 2007 at Makuhari Messe. It measures 8.6 x 6.1 x 1.1 mm, the industry's slimmest class thickness. The company aims to win its employment for small products such as mobile phones and portable navigation devices (PND).

To further support Galileo

The module is embedded with a 1.5 GHz band RF receiver circuit required to receive GPS signals and a base band processing circuit. The company is yet to specify the name of the chipset manufacturer, but seems to have used a small size product by eRide of the US or else. Boasting the minimum receiver sensitivity of -161 dBm, the module can be used for high sensitivity GPS applications used inside the building and between buildings, for example. Power is 150 mW when receiving data and 85 mW when tracking satellites, according to the company. An SAW filter is built in as the RF filter, while a TCXO is mounted externally. Taiyo Yuden recommends employment of its ceramic chip antenna and some other products as an antenna for the module. Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. also markets the same kind of a GPS receiver module with almost equivalent dimensions to this module's. Also, Seiko Epson Corp. has already started shipping a 7 x 6 x 1.28 mm module.

Taiyo Yuden disclosed its roadmap for future development of GPS receiver modules at the same event. According to the roadmap, the company will ship a module embedded with components up to a CPU within 2007. The company expects this module to be applied to low price PNDs, among other products. Taiyo Yuden projects to prepare a module that further supports the "Galileo" satellite positioning system led and promoted by European countries in 2008.

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