Tokyo, Japan, February 21, 2013 - Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced the commercialization of two Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver LSIs that achieve the industry’s lowest^*1 power consumption of just 10mW^*2, and one GNSS Receiver Module for use in mobile products. These models are scheduled to be launched sequentially from June, 2013.

 Location information is now widely used for purposes such as smartphone applications, and this functionality is now becoming integral to our daily lives. Examples include navigation services that guide us to our destinations, social network services that enable us to upload photos from travel destinations with location information, or mapping software that allows us to mark out the routes we have traveled. Functions that measure positional information are now available across a wide variety of products such as smartphones, tablets and digital cameras.
 However, with the use of this functionality in mobile devices consuming power and causing battery life to shorten, users are required to activate these functions accordingly. In addition, capturing positional information while indoors has also presented a challenge.

 To overcome these challenges, Sony developed new RF and digital circuits, leveraging its extensive technologies and know-how in the area of tuner development. Specialized low-power AD converters, low noise amplifiers and electronic circuit phase-locked loops (PLL) have been developed for the RF circuits, and Sony also adopted a low-power digital circuit design that optimally controls the power supply and clock for each separate function block. Conventionally, the power consumption of the RF circuits alone exceeds 10mW, but Sony has successfully reduced power consumption to the industry’s lowest 10mW for the entire GNSS Receiver LSI unit.
 Furthermore, these LSIs are equipped with Sensor Fusion functionality, which facilitates arithmetic processing to measure highly accurate positional information by combining information received from multiple sensors built into the smartphone, such as accelerometers, magnetic sensors and gyro sensors. Even when indoors, or other environments where it can be difficult to measure a location with just the satellite signal reception, the technology is capable of generating autonomous navigation (‘dead reckoning’) to deliver highly precise positional information.
 It is compatible with five measurement system, including the Global Positioning System (GPS), Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) and satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), as well as the Indoor Messaging System (IMES).

 With these low power consumption and high-precision measurement capabilities suitable for both outdoor and indoor usage applications, Sony will aim to introduce these models in smartphones and tablets, as well as a wide variety of other products, including digital cameras, car navigation systems and wristwatches. In addition, with the low power consumption meaning that measuring capabilities can be activated at all times, this further expands the possibility of developing entirely new products and services.

• *1:As of this announcement on February 21, 2013.
  
• *2: When continuously receiving a GPS satellite signal

Main Features

1. The industry’s lowest^*1 power consumption of just 10mW^*2

Sony developed a specialized low-power AD converters, low noise amplifiers and electronic circuit phase-locked loops (PLL) for RF circuits, and adopted a low-power digital circuit design that optimally controls the power supply and clock for each separate function block. For example, during satellite tracking, only those function blocks required are operated, while the input clock is stopped or power is isolated for other components. This has the benefit of reducing average power consumption. As a result of these technologies, power consumption is reduced to 10mW with low noise, and achieved both low power consumption and high sensitivity.

2. Equipped with Sensor Fusion functionality, realizing seamless and high-precision position measurement for both indoor and outdoor location

The Sensor Fusion feature combines information received from multiple smartphone sensors such as accelerometers, magnetic sensors and gyro sensors to perform arithmetic processing that achieves highly accurate measurement of positional information. In conventional systems, the host CPU is required to host each specific sensor driver. However, the new models are equipped with a sensor control function that enables mobile product manufacturers to easily incorporate Sensor Fusion functionality, as a sensor driver is no longer required for the host CPU.

3. Compatible with five measurement systems for enhanced position measurement precision

The ability to simultaneously utilize multiple measurement systems have realized enhanced position measurement precision.

Key Specifications

• *Please note that any company names and/or product names mentioned in this document are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective corporations.