SHERIDAN, WYOMING – Mar. 4, 2025 – Rohde & Schwarz and u-blox have successfully demonstrated the validation of u-blox’s latest automotive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module against the newly published Chinese GB/T 45086.1-2024 automotive standard. This validation was achieved using an automated R&S SMBV100B-based GNSS simulator solution, marking a significant milestone in ensuring compliance with the evolving requirements of the Chinese automotive market.
The Importance of GNSS in Modern Automotive Systems
GNSS technology is rapidly becoming indispensable in the automotive sector, powering a range of applications from advanced infotainment systems to crucial autonomous driving functionalities. To ensure the reliability and quality of onboard automotive GNSS systems, the Chinese National Automotive Standardization Technical Committee has developed the “Technical requirements and test methods for on-board positioning system” guidelines.
Rohde & Schwarz played a pivotal role in the drafting of this standard, which was released on November 28, 2024, with an implementation date set for June 2025. While currently recommended, these requirements are expected to become mandatory under the forthcoming Chinese eCall standard.
GB/T 45086.1-2024: A Rigorous Testing Standard
The automotive GNSS standard, GB/T 45086.1-2024, mandates that onboard positioning systems meet stringent criteria, including tracking sensitivity, acquisition sensitivity, time to first fix, location accuracy, and velocity accuracy. These tests must be conducted across various multi-constellation and BeiDou-only modes. The standard also incorporates tests for special events like week number rollover, leap second handling, radio frequency interference, and unexpected pseudo range errors, ensuring the overall robustness of the positioning system. Notably, compliant GNSS receivers must process signals from two frequency bands simultaneously.
The R&S SMBV100B: Enabling Controlled and Repeatable Testing
Many of the required tests cannot be effectively performed in real-world scenarios due to implementation challenges, time constraints, cost considerations, and reproducibility issues. However, the R&S SMBV100B GNSS simulator allows these tests to be conducted in a controlled laboratory environment. This simulator offers advanced capabilities for configuring realistic and complex, yet repeatable, GNSS scenarios.
Combined with the R&S CMWrun sequencer software, the R&S NGC101 power supply, and the R&S SMBVB-K364 software option, the R&S SMBV100B transforms into an automated test solution. This solution executes the test sequence, providing clear pass/fail results and comprehensive test reports. This is particularly valuable for GNSS silicon suppliers, GNSS module providers, Tier 1 developers of Telematic Control Units (T-Box in China), infotainment system certification companies, and vehicle OEMs targeting the Chinese market.
Collaboration for Compliance and Efficiency
The validation of compliance with this new test specification requires close cooperation among industry suppliers. Rohde & Schwarz’s collaboration with u-blox exemplifies this partnership. Gerald Tietscher, VP signal generators at Rohde & Schwarz, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with u-blox to enable the automotive positioning ecosystem with a robust, standard compliance and automated solution to validate their products against the emerging Chinese GNSS standard.”
This collaboration facilitated pre-compliance testing across u-blox’s portfolio of automotive GNSS receivers, including the ZED-F9L and ZED-F9K, as well as the upcoming u-blox 20 product family.
Andreas Thiel, head of business units and co-founder at u-blox, said, “We are pleased that Rohde & Schwarz selected u-blox and our EVK-F9DR as reference kit to showcase this new automated test solution. With R&S advanced testing tools, automotive companies targeting the Chinese market can seamlessly validate their u-blox-based onboard positioning systems against GB/T 45068 and other standards.”
Ensuring Future Automotive GNSS Reliability
This successful validation highlights the importance of standardized testing and collaborative efforts in ensuring the reliability and compliance of automotive GNSS systems. By leveraging advanced simulation tools and fostering partnerships, companies like Rohde & Schwarz and u-blox are paving the way for safer and more efficient automotive technologies in the Chinese market and beyond.
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