A spin-off from Delft University of Technology and supported by earlier investments from Delft Enterprises, the company has successfully developed and tested a radio chip that can receive geo-positioning information from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) with a 10 times lower power consumption, smaller chip size and at reduced costs compared to existing solutions.
The chip is able to detect signals from all major satellite systems including GPS, to accurately determine location and time.
The company’s core innovations are patent protected and originate from the founders’ PhD research in Digital Radio Frequency (DRF) technology. DRF makes it possible to transfer a significant part of the chip’s analogue area to the digital domain and enables CMOS scaling for GPS-like radios, and in doing so has significantly reduced the chip’s power consumption, size and cost price.
“Our next step is to launch the QLX300+, a System-on-Chip featuring the world's smallest and most power-efficient GNSS sensor”, said Tom Trill, CEO at Qualinx. “The QLX300+ will use as much as 10 times less energy than currently available GNSS devices in the market and will be in mass production next year. As a result of the improved efficiency, the battery life of, for example, fitness trackers and smartwatches can be extended from hours to several days.”
The technology is not just limited to GNSS, according to Qualinx. It can also be implemented to create any radio for example, its second-generation product, the QLX400, is able to combine GNSS with an Internet-of-Things (IoT) radio on a single chip, to track and communicate a location while consuming limited amounts of power.
According to Trill there is increased global demand for asset tracking.
“There is global concern about the security of any asset, especially when it moves. Shipping a product from warehouse to store without breakpoints in connectivity currently requires a multi-chip solution to provide seamless connectivity between classic GNSS and ground based IoT radios. We offer a single-chip solution that can do both. It is universally applicable, affordable and has an ultra-low power budget.”
Photo caption – From left to right, Iman Madadi (CIO), Tom Trill (CEO), Massoud Tohidian (CTO) and Amir Reza Ahmadi Mehr (SVP Engineering).
