STMicroelectronics’ Latest Automotive-industry Satellite-navigation Chips Power Robotic Lawnmowers from Segway

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has collaborated with Segway to equip its latest range of robotic lawnmowers with precision positioning and extended satellite-signal coverage bringing their operational efficiency and safety to the next level.

Reliable and precise satellite navigation is crucial for boundary-wire-free robotic lawnmowers to be able to autonomously navigate and operate safely. Adjacent tall buildings or trees can impact satellite reception. To be able to operate safely at the edge of stairs or steep slopes, satellite signal coverage cannot be spotty and must be guaranteed.

Leveraging their automotive-grade quality and reliability, ST’s Teseo satellite-navigation chips represent a perfect fit for the robotic lawnmower segment. The ability of the machine to identify its exact location, to a decimetre-level accuracy, ensures it stays and operates within a defined field perimeter. This makes the mower’s performance safer, preventing any injury or property damage, as well as more efficient by replacing random mowing patterns with a systematic approach that enables serving a larger area with a small mower over a shorter period of time.

Integrated in Segway’s recently unveiled Navimow X3 lawn mowers, ST’s automotive-qualified Teseo V single-chip triple-band GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers are able to efficiently acquire and track the largest number of satellites in multiple constellations simultaneously for superior performance in difficult conditions. Augmented by the Real-Time Kinematic technique for satellite signal error correction, this ensures stability and precision of the lawn mower operation even in challenging signal environments and complex layouts, such as on properties with both front and back yards and in instances where the robotic lawnmower has to pass through narrow passageways connecting one mowing zone to another. Compared to Segway’s previous generation robotic lawnmowers, satellite signal coverage was increased by 20-30% with ST’s Teseo V GNSS receiver technology.

"Segway Navimow's collaboration with ST is the perfect example of “Mutualism”. ST provides electronic modules embedding cutting-edge technology, which Segway leveraged in its latest, most advanced robotic lawnmower." says George Ren, CEO of Segway Navimow.

“Building on its success in enabling the creation of reliable and affordable automotive navigation systems, ST’s single-chip Teseo satellite receiver technology now brings these capabilities to the industrial market in a compact and convenient package,” said Luca Celant, Digital Audio and Signal Solutions Division General Manager at STMicroelectronics. “Segway’s choice to use the market-proven Teseo devices in their next-generation robotic lawnmowers represents a significant milestone in ST’s expansion towards the industrial GNSS market, offering automotive-grade quality at an industrial-grade cost.”