Designed for rugged environments with limited or no GPS access, the VPX3-673A 3U OpenVPX™ assured position, navigation, and timing (A-PNT) solution and central radial clock module delivers A-PNT information to systems under the most challenging circumstances. Developed in alignment with the SOSA technical standard, CMOSS, and VICTORY protocols, the VPX3-673A is the first of its kind to combine both Alternative RF Navigation functionality and pntOS capabilities on a single module.
Key Features
- Provides a high-assurance accurate navigation and timing solution in GPS-denied environments
- Acts as system-wide timing master by providing reliable clock signals
- Provides Atomic clock-backed NTP/PTP timing for distributed network use
- Ability to act as IEEE-1588 (PTP) grand master
- Aligns with the SOSA Technical Standard to meet the 3U Radial Clock (timing) profile
- Supports standard M-Code and SAASM GPS modules
- Outputs: 11 Radial clock pairs of 10-125 MHZ aligned 1PPS
- Supports external PNT sources over Ethernet
- Ability to sync multiple VPX3-673As
- A-PNT Software (US Only Version)
- pntOS
- Alternative RF Navigation
- VICTORY
Applications
- Assured PNT
- Radial Clock Distribution
The VPX3-673 3U OpenVPX SBC and timing card is designed to eliminate the need for multiple in-platform boxes to field new navigational capabilities and simplify the integration of complementary positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) sources on ground vehicles.
The CHAMP-XD3/VPX3-484 3U OpenVPX Intel Ice Lake Xeon D-1700 DSP Processor Card features high-speed DDR4 memory, 10 Gb Ethernet, 40 Gb Ethernet Data Plane, AMD Zynq® UltraScale+™ MPSoC FPGA for enhanced security, and is available in rugged conduction and air-cooled versions.
The Digital Beachhead Ethernet Switch and Vehicle Management Computer provides 16 ports of tri-speed 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet.
The DBH-672 Digital Beachhead is a rugged COTS Gigabit Ethernet switch & vetronics computer system capable of hosting optional VICTORY services software.
Designed to provide ground vehicles with access to trusted PNT information while operating in conditions with limited, impeded, or denied GPS/GNSS, the DBH-670A is rapidly deployable and size, weight, and power (SWaP)-optimized for space-constrained platforms.
VPX3-673A 3U CMOSS/SOSA Aligned A-PNT Module with Integrated Software
The VPX3-673A is a rugged 3U OpenVPX™ A-PNT module designed to ingest positioning data from multiple sensors and output consistent timing and navigation information to the warfighter. At the heart of the VPX3-673A is a low noise Chip Scale Atomic Clock (LN-CSAC), with intelligence provided by an AMD MPSoC. These devices are complemented by an Alternative RF Navigation receiver and a 10-degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The board supports an internal GPS module capable of both SASSM and M-CODE, or an external GPS via an easily accessible front panel connector.
Open Standards Approach
The VPX3-673A was developed in alignment with the SOSA technical standard, and delivers connectivity for up to 11 clocks. An additional feature being developed only for the VPX3-673A is the ability to link two or more of the Radial Clock A-PNT modules, which delivers 22 plus precision clock outputs. In addition to the open hardware standards, the VPX3-673A distributes PNT information via standard VICTORY data messages in compliance with the CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF) architecture.
Faster Development: Alternative RF Navigation and pntOS Optimized Together
The VPX3-673A offers two powerful, new A-PNT features: Alternative RF Navigation and pntOS.
Designed to operate without GPS, Alternative RF Navigation (alternative navigation) provides position and timing information using a space-based commercial system. By providing Alternative RF Navigation directly on the SBC, system integrators no longer have to develop it themselves.
A government-funded open architecture, pntOS is a software framework enabling system integrators to quickly develop assurance algorithms and add plugins for new sensors. By leveraging pntOS, the time and effort to develop cutting-edge assurance algorithms is greatly reduced.
Unique in the industry, the VPX3-673A provides both Alternative RF Navigation and pntOS already optimized to work together. Pairing these two features with the VPX3-673A provides the tools for developers to react quickly and mitigate emerging threats.
Ecosystem Flexibility for Greater Assurance
System requirements vary greatly depending on platform type. The VPX3-673A provides both the processing resources and sensor interface capabilities to be compatible with a wide variety of external processing and sensor units. Having the ability to use many different types of sensors, including radio navigation (GPS, Alternative RF Navigation), environmental sensors (Barometer, Compass, LIDAR, Inertial) and platform-specific (pitot tube, odometer) sensors allows for the highest assurance PNT.
What is Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing?
The potential vulnerabilities of the military’s dependence on Global Positioning System (GPS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data are driving demand for new deployed approaches for detecting threats. In GPS/GNSS-denied environments, ensuring accurate Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) information is delivered to the warfighter is absolutely critical.
Simplifying Integration & Ensuring User Confidence
Designing and developing an A-PNT solution that seamlessly integrates information from multiple complementary sources and provides the same level of performance as GPS is not an easy task. From a design and engineering perspective, there are – quite literally – a lot of moving parts to consider and combine to arrive at a PNT truth. This white paper explores the challenges involved in developing effective and reliable A-PNT solutions, and provides guidelines for taking a holistic approach to A-PNT for maximum effectiveness.