Auto Makers, Racing Teams Turn To GPS For Performance Testing Accuracy

    SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Nov. 7, 2002--Automotive performance testing - the art and science of measuring speed, acceleration, braking characteristics, cornering ability, and much more - is moving into a whole new world: the world of global positioning systems (GPS).
    Long saddled with cumbersome arrays of stopwatches, fifth wheels and optical sensors, auto manufacturers, government testing agencies, even Formula One racing teams are turning to GPS technology to make their testing procedures more accurate, more comprehensive and dramatically more efficient.
    A British company, RaceLogic, is leading the way with its VBOX, a powerful system that weds a DG14 GPS board and antenna from Thales Navigation to a data logger, control circuits and sophisticated data conversion software to create a system that calculates a vehicle's velocity 20 times per second with a very high degree of accuracy.
    High-speed microprocessors and a dedicated digital signal processor (DSP) monitor up to 12 satellites for maximum accuracy. Sophisticated algorithms reduce multipath errors and use instantaneous Doppler values from at least four satellites to measure velocity.
    RaceLogic's first experience with GPS came five years ago, when it conducted studies for the British government on a concept car that would slow automatically when confronted with a speed limit reduction zone along a highway. RaceLogic used GPS along with its existing traction-control products to conduct the tests.

    GPS performance testing comes of age
    "Since then, I've kept an eye on the GPS world and followed developments in the field," said Julian Thomas, RaceLogic's owner. "I could see the potential of GPS, but I was also aware that the satellite signals available to non-military GPS users could give adequate accuracy for basic speed measurements, but not for the kind of positioning data needed for performance testing. When President Clinton eliminated Selective (i.e., military) Access to GPS signals in 2000, I could see that the greatly increased accuracy for civilian GPS users would have major ramifications for our business."
    Thomas began investigating receivers for performance testing applications and came across the Ashtech DC-14 GPS board from Thales Navigation. "The board's capabilities were a revelation to me," he said. "Aside from its convenience and accuracy, it was the only system available that offered true 20 Hz update operation.
    Perhaps the most important feature of VBOX, according to Thomas, is its efficiency. "It takes about 20 seconds to fit onto a car, compared to as much as an hour or two for the fifth wheel and optical sensor systems that have been the primary means of speed measurement up to now," he said. "For a manufacturer or race team or testing agency, that's significant. Instead of testing two or three cars in a day, now they can test 40 or 50."
    For racing teams, accurate velocity and positioning data give managers and drivers valuable information about the effect that steering a particular course has on vehicle speed.
    "VBOX lets us draw a totally accurate map of a race or test circuit, complete with the inside and outside edges of the tracks," Thomas said. "We can then chart a test vehicle's exact path around that circuit and overlay it on the course map."
    The system also gives precise positioning data. That's important in many applications, including by tire manufacturers measuring tire wear and scrub in relation to a vehicle's lean on curves.

    About RaceLogic
    Headquartered in Buckingham, England, RaceLogic designs and manufactures high quality electronic parts for racing and road cars. Its Traction Control and VBOX systems are among the most sophisticated systems available. RaceLogic counts more than a dozen auto makers - including Ford, GM, Daimler Chrysler and Toyota -- among its clients, as well as 75 percent of the world's tire makers. Renault's Formula One racing team uses the system, and Ferrari's F1 team is expected to begin using VBOX in the near future. There are more than 270 VBOX systems in use around the world.

    About the Thales DG-14 OEM Board
    The Thales Navigation DG14 OEM Board is low-cost, new-generation sub-meter GPS/Beacon/Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) receiver. It's an ideal solution for high-end integration, incorporating signals from SBAS such as WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS and including an embedded Beacon receiver to provide sub-meter differential positioning. The DG14 can provide up to 20Hz precise three-dimensional positioning and raw data for real-time guidance and navigation.

    About Thales Navigation
    Thales Navigation is one of the world's leading developers and manufacturers of positioning, navigation, communications and guidance equipment with global operations throughout the U.S. and Europe. Thales Navigation markets its Magellan brand GPS solutions in the consumer electronics, recreation, and automotive markets, and its Thales Navigation GPS and GNSS professional products in the survey, GIS/Mapping, and OEM markets. Through its joint venture with Hertz, Thales Navigation has developed the Hertz NeverLost(R) vehicle navigation system. Thales Navigation's key innovations include the first U.S. commercial hand-held GPS receiver for positioning and navigation, and the first handheld GPS with industry standard Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities.
    Thales Navigation, headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., is a subsidiary of Thales, a leading professional electronics company headquartered in Paris, with activities in aerospace, defense and information technology and services. For more information, visit www.thalesnavigation.com.