This library communicates with uBlox GNSS receivers using the UBX protocol. This library is compatible with Arduino and CMake build systems.

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uBlox produces standard and high precision GPS receivers. These receivers feature high sensitivity, minimal acquisition times, and small form factors. UBX is a uBlox binary format for efficiently retrieving data from the receiver.

Use the Arduino Library Manager to install this library or clone to your Arduino/libraries folder. This library is added as:

#include "ubx.h"

An example Arduino executable is located in: examples/arduino/ublox_example/ublox_example.ino. Teensy 3.x, 4.x, and LC devices are used for testing under Arduino and this library should be compatible with other Arduino devices.

CMake is used to build this library, which is exported as a library target called ubx. The header is added as:

#include "ubx.h"

The library can be also be compiled stand-alone using the CMake idiom of creating a build directory and then, from within that directory issuing:

cmake .. -DMCU=MK66FX1M0
make

This will build the library and an example executable called ublox_example. The example executable source files are located at examples/cmake/ublox_example.cc. Notice that the cmake command includes a define specifying the microcontroller the code is being compiled for. This is required to correctly configure the code, CPU frequency, and compile/linker options. The available MCUs are:

• MK20DX128
• MK20DX256
• MK64FX512
• MK66FX1M0
• MKL26Z64
• IMXRT1062_T40
• IMXRT1062_T41
• IMXRT1062_MMOD

These are known to work with the same packages used in Teensy products. Also switching packages is known to work well, as long as it's only a package change.

The example target creates an executable for communicating with the GNSS receiver using the UBX protocol. Each target also has a _hex, for creating the hex file to upload to the microcontroller, and an _upload for using the Teensy CLI Uploader to flash the Teensy. Instructions for setting up your build environment can be found in our build-tools repo.

This library is within the namespace bfs.

This library parses data from the following messages:

• UBX-NAV-DOP
• UBX-NAV-EOE
• UBX-NAV-POSECEF
• UBX-NAV-PVT
• UBX-NAV-VELECEF
• UBX-NAV-TIMEGPS

These messages should be enabled using the u-center software.

If high accuracy position data is available, the following messages should be enabled and will be used by this library.

• UBX-NAV-HPPOSECEF
• UBX-NAV-HPPOSLLH

If relative position data is available, such as from a stationary or moving reference, the following message should be enabled and will be used by this library.

• UBX-NAV-RELPOSNED

Finally, if you are connected to a fixed-baseline and conducting a survey-in, the following message should be enabled and will be used by this library to provide information regarding the survey-in status.

• UBX-NAV-SVIN

Ubx() Default constructor, requires calling the Config method to setup the serial port.

Ubx(HardwareSerial* bus) Creates a Ubx object. This constructor is used for the serial communication interface and a pointer to the serial bus object is passed to the constructor.

bfs::Ubx ubx(&Serial1);

void Config(HardwareSerial* bus) Sets up the serial port to use for communication. Required if the default constructor is used.

bool Begin(const int32_t baud) Establishes communication with the GNSS receiver. Returns true on successfully receiving data, otherwise, returns false.

bool status = ubx.Begin(921600);

The following method reads and parses the serial data. True is returned on receiving a full epoch of new data.

bool Read() Reads and parses data from the serial port. Returns true on receiving the end of epoch frame, which indicates that all data should be updated and available to use.

if (ubx.Read()) {
  // use the GNSS data
}

The most recent valid packet is stored in the Ubx object. Data fields can be retrieved using the following functions.

Fix fix() Returns the GNSS fix status.

int8_t num_sv() Number of satellite vehicles used in the navigation solution.

int16_t utc_year() UTC year.

int8_t utc_month() UTC month.

int8_t utc_day() UTC day.

int8_t utc_hour() UTC hour.

int8_t utc_min() UTC minute.

int8_t utc_sec() UTC second.

int32_t utc_nano() UTC nanoseconds.

double gps_tow_s() GPS time of week, s.

int16_t week() GPS week number.

int8_t leap_s() Leap seconds (GPS-UTC).

uint32_t time_acc_ns() Estimated time accuracy, ns.

float north_vel_mps() North velocity, m/s

float east_vel_mps() East velocity, m/s

float down_vel_mps() Down velocity, m/s

float gnd_spd_mps() Ground speed (2D), m/s

float ecef_vel_x_mps() ECEF x velocity, m/s

float ecef_vel_y_mps() ECEF y velocity, m/s

float ecef_vel_z_mps() ECEF z velocity, m/s

float spd_acc_mps() Estimated speed accuracy, m/s

float track_deg() Estimated ground track (2D heading of motion), deg

float track_rad() Estimated ground track (2D heading of motion), rad

float track_acc_deg() Estimated ground track (2D heading of motion) accuracy, deg

float track_acc_rad() Estimated ground track (2D heading of motion) accuracy, rad

double lat_deg() Latitude, deg

double lat_rad() Latitude, rad

double lon_deg() Longitude, deg

double lon_rad() Longitude, rad

float alt_wgs84_m() Altitude above the WGS84 ellipsoid, m

float alt_msl_m() Altitude above Mean Sea Level, m

float horz_acc_m() Estimated horizontal position accuracy, m

float vert_acc_m() Estimated vertical position accuracy, m

double ecef_pos_x_m() ECEF x position, m

double ecef_pos_y_m() ECEF y position, m

double ecef_pos_z_m() ECEF z position, m

float ecef_pos_acc_m() Estimated ECEF position accuracy, m

float gdop() geometric dilution of precision.

float pdop() position dilution of precision.

float tdop() time dilution of precision.

float vdop() vertical dilution of precision.

float hdop() horizontal dilution of precision.

float ndop() northing dilution of precision.

float edop() easting dilution of precision.

bool rel_pos_avail() Whether relative position data is available.

bool rel_pos_moving_baseline() Whether the receiver is operating in moving base mode.

bool rel_pos_ref_pos_miss() Whether extrapolated reference position was used to compute moving base solution this epoch.

bool rel_pos_ref_obs_miss() Whether extrapolated reference observations were used to compute moving base solution this epoch.

bool rel_pos_heading_valid() Whether heading of the relative position vector is valid.

bool rel_pos_normalized() Whether the components of the relative position vector (including the high-precision parts) are normalized.

double rel_pos_north_m() North component of relative position vector, m.

double rel_pos_east_m() East component of relative position vector, m.

double rel_pos_down_m() Down component of relative position vector, m.

float rel_pos_acc_north_m() Accuracy of relative position North component, m.

float rel_pos_acc_east_m() Accuracy of relative position East component, m.

float rel_pos_acc_down_m() Accuracy of relative position Down component, m.

double rel_pos_len_m() Length of the relative position vector, m.

float rel_pos_len_acc_m() Accuracy of length of the relative position vector, m.

float rel_pos_heading_deg() Heading of the relative position vector, deg.

float rel_pos_heading_rad() Heading of the relative position vector, rad.

float rel_pos_heading_acc_deg() Accuracy of the heading of the relative position vector, deg.

float rel_pos_heading_acc_rad() Accuracy of the heading of the relative position vector, rad.

bool svin_valid() Survey-in position validity flag, true = valid, otherwise false.

bool svin_in_progress() Survey-in in progress flag, true = in-progress, otherwise false.

uint32_t svin_dur_s() Passed survey-in observation time, s.

double svin_ecef_pos_x_m() Current survey-in mean position ECEF X coordinate, m.

double svin_ecef_pos_y_m() Current survey-in mean position ECEF Y coordinate, m.

double svin_ecef_pos_z_m() Current survey-in mean position ECEF Z coordinate, m.

float svin_ecef_pos_acc_m() Current survey-in mean position accuracy, m.

uint32_t svin_num_obs() Number of position observations used during survey-in.