Up to 50% power reduction using u-blox M10 GNSS with LEAP mode in vehicle, cattle and pet tracking use cases

From wearables to vehicles and from pet collars to livestock and asset trackers, precise location data is at the core of countless industrial and consumer applications. For all these use cases, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) play a major role, providing precise meter-level positioning across the globe. 

The challenge: power consumption and antenna limitations

But there is a challenge: most of these devices are small, battery-operated and rely on less-than-ideal antennas. When designers select a GNSS chip or module, they face the balancing act of maintaining accuracy while minimizing power consumption, without compromising the end-user experience.

GNSS chips or modules in compact, battery-powered devices confront two recurring problems: 

1. Energy efficiency: Battery life is critical. Power-hungry GNSS tracking quickly drains energy reserves, making longevity a key differentiator when selecting the right GNSS receiver.
2. Suboptimal antenna conditions: Antennas in wearables may be covered by clothing, pet or livestock trackers don’t always face the sky and vehicle trackers are typically mounted in conditions with constrained sky view, sometimes even under metal structures. These constraints mean weaker signals, fewer visible satellites and reduced positioning accuracy. 

The solution: LEAP mode

LEAP (Low Energy Accurate Positioning) is a smart GNSS power save mode developed by u-blox to deliver optimal positioning performance while also extending battery life. It was specifically designed to address the above stated challenges.

• Dynamic power management: LEAP reduces power consumption by intelligently scaling down energy use whenever possible.  
• Accuracy preservation: It simultaneously ensures that the most beneficial satellites remain tracked, maintaining superior position accuracy. 

In short, LEAP mode offers the best of both worlds: energy efficiency without compromising on precision.  

Real-world benefits: testing LEAP with u-blox M10

u-blox M10 products are widely deployed across these applications. To demonstrate the benefits of LEAP, we compared M10 products running firmware SPG 5.30 (with LEAP enabled) against the existing M10 product range with firmware SPG 5.10. 

Vehicle tracker

In aftermarket telematics, tracking devices are often installed inside vehicles, under the hood, in the trunk, or mounted discretely within the cabin. For our test we did the same, we used an antenna located inside a car.

In this really challenging deep-urban scenario, with the antenna mounted inside the car, we stressed the device using LEAP mode. Under low signal conditions, C/N₀ levels below 20 dBHz and significant signal reflections (multipath), the positioning accuracy in full-power mode was limited to around 13 m. However, LEAP mode reduces power consumption by around 20% while maintaining the same level of position accuracy as full-power operation.

Cattle tracker

To simulate cattle tracking, we equipped a person with a backpack worn on the front, mimicking the orientation of a cow’s head and an antenna pointing toward walking direction. The backpack was occasionally placed on the ground to simulate the cow lying down, blocking signal reception of the antenna for several minutes.

The challenge in this scenario was the antenna orientation with limited sky view and the fact, that there was no signal available at all, when we put the backpack down on the ground. The GNSS receiver was in the power-hungry satellite acquisition phase for longer periods. Overall, in LEAP mode it consumed 30% lower power to achieve the same 5 m position accuracy as in full power mode. 

Pet tracker

For the pet tracking scenario, we equipped a dog with a commercial product using a realistic antenna, and we went into the forest for the test walk.

The evaluation demonstrated that positioning accuracy consistently remained at 8–9 meters in both full-power and LEAP mode, while LEAP reduced power consumption by 40%, extending battery life without any loss in performance.

Conclusion

u-blox M10 products with LEAP  provide positioning accuracy comparable to full-power operation while significantly reducing energy consumption. Switching between full-power and LEAP mode is easy and can be done at runtime. 

LEAP mode  offers clear advantages in continuous tracking scenarios, such as vehicle, pet, or livestock tracking. In contrast, asset-tracking applications, where the GNSS is activated only once a day to capture a position, do not benefit from LEAP. In those cases, the main challenge is achieving a fast and accurate position fix after startup, which can be effectively addressed using the AssistNow service.