VBOX 3i Firmware - Release Notes

Compatible Products (Product Code): VB3i*, VB3iSL*, VB3iRxGx*, VB3iSLR*

*Only suitable for units with hardware variants V3-V5 and older units that have been upgraded to be ‘IMU04 ready’. VBOX V3 variants start at serial number 32390 (Jan 2014). Look out for the silver 'IMU04 ready' sticker on your unit.

2.8 b23154 - July 2021

This firmware version requires the latest VBOX Manager (3.0.2341 or higher) firmware and Setup software (3.1.4.636 or higher).

NEW FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

(New) Steering Wheel Sensor support added

Racelogic Steering Wheel Sensor (RLSTSENSOR) is now officially supported. In previous firmware versions, manual configuration including DBC file loading was required for the Steering Wheel Sensor setup. In firmware 2.8, VB3i will now automatically detect the Steering Wheel Sensor when connected to the Racelogic CAN bus. When detected, four signals will be available for logging and serial transmission (Torque NmTorque Speed Nm/s, Angle Deg, Angle Speed Deg/s).

Note, Steering Wheel Sensor signals are not available for MFD (Multi-Function Display) when using the auto-detect feature.

More information on the Steering Wheel Sensor can be found on the here and on the Support Centre websites.

(New) Lat and Long velocity for Single Antenna mode added

Lateral and Longitudinal Velocity signals now available on CAN for single antenna mode. These two parameters can be found on message 0x307, more information in the RACELOGIC Support Centre. Note, Lateral and Longitudinal Velocity signals should only be used with Kalman filter or dual antenna as an accurate body heading is required.

(New) Slip Angle for Single Antenna mode added

Slip Angle is now available on CAN for single antenna mode. The signal can be found on messages 0x314 and 0x083. Note, it should only be used with Kalman filter or dual antenna as an accurate body heading is required.

(New) ‘Stahle CAN Output’ CAN message set added

New CAN message set added to software and firmware for Stahle robot system support.

(New) ABD Path follow updated

CAN message 0x323 is now transmissed when ABD path follow mode is enabled. More information can be found on our Support Centre.

BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS

(Fix) ADAS communication stability improved

Improvements have been made to the ADAS telemetry communications in firmware version 2.8. The wireless telemetry communication links are less susceptible to data and connection loss during VBOX to VBOX data transmission.

VBOX3i ADAS users can confirm the VBOX to VBOX link stability by monitoring the “Link Time” channels made available by the VBOX3i. If the Link Time channels excessively drop to zero during use, an update to 2.8 will be recommended.

(Fix) Intermittent communication issue with IMU04 resolved

There was an issue present in firmware version 2.7x where the initial communications between VBOX3i and IMU04 will at times fail. As a result, the Kalman filter will fail to initialise and run.

This was an intermittent issue which would often require the user to power cycle the system. In version 2.8 a fix has been applied to ensure the IMU04 will successfully initialise.

Note, this issue is limited to “IMU04 Ready” VBOX3i’s with 2.7x firmware installed and an IMU04 connected.

(Change) Position Quality updated

Position Quality is a numeric status value produced by VBOX3i for RTK robot path follow applications. The function has been reworked and simplified in version 2.8. More information about Position Quality can be found on our Support Centre.

(Fix) Static point channel issue resolved

In some instances Latitude and Longitude Speed channels were not calculated resulting in the output being set to 0.

(Fix) 0x307 CAN frame issue resolved

In some instances, the 0x307 CAN frame would not be transmitted on the VCI port when selected. This has been fixed.

(Fix) GNSS COM port baud rate reset after a Cold Start resolved

In some instances, the RTK/DGPS COM port baud rate was reset back to default after a GNSS receiver Cold Start. This has been fixed.

(Change) GPS Time Change

The Time signal present on CAN message 0x314 has changed from UTC to GPS time. This means the time starts from GPS time since midnight. All other time outputs remain UTC unless specified.

(Change) IMU Kalman Filter Robot Blend function changed

The Kalman Filter position clamp is now 1 mm per sample rather than 2 mm per sample. This change offers a smoother position and heading transition once GNSS lock has been established after a GNSS signal degrade / denial phase.

(Change) LatSsv-tg ADAS parameter enhanced

Quality improvements have been made to the lateral and longitudinal speed (vehicle to vehicle) parameters. As a result, users will benefit from a noise reduction on the two ADAS parameters. Due to the channel nature (rate of change) any steps or noise in vehicle range is amplified in their corresponding speed channels. Advanced logic has now been applied to the lateral and longitudinal parameters in order to produce a cleaner, noise reduced speed parameter set without compromising accuracy.

2.7 b22949 - August 2020

NEW FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

  • (New) Wheelspeeds can now be used with IMU integration
  • (New) VIPS support
  • (New) Simultaneous output of x and y and Global coordinates
  • (New) Error warning for unusupported hardware (New) Option to clamp the KF position and robot heading to return to 2mm a sample
  • (Updated) L2 support with B210 engines (Updated) Robot compatibility
  • (Updated) ADAS calculations

BUG FIXES & IMPROVEMENTS

  • (Fix) IMU/reference offsets to GPS antenna
  • (Fix) Coldstarting no longer reset GPS engine baud rate
  • (Fix) CAN no longer stops after a B110 engine is coldstarted
  • (Fix) Sync issues
  • (Fix) Dynamic mode retained after power cycle

2.6 b21828 - February 2019

NEW FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

  • (New) Firmware now works across all VB3i variants
  • (New) L2 support for OEM GPS engines (v3/v4)
  • (New) 3 Target ADAS mode
  • (New) Addition of RobotHead
  • (New) Addition of SlipHead
  • (New) Firmware enabled Simplex Radio Mode
  • (Change) CAN output updates (see latest online documentation)
  • (Change) Robot mode updates/ABD path follow supports Single antenna
  • (Change) Long Acc CAN threshold removed

BUG FIXES

  • (Fix) Problems when connecting to VBTS/Setup
  • (Fix) Red PWR LED
  • (Fix) UTC offset handled with regard to midnight
  • (Fix) Slip Angle computation
  • (Fix) LDWS issues
  • (Fix) Vehico heading frame

2.5 build 20447 - February 2018

NEW FEATURES & FUNCTIONALITY

  • (New) Pass by Noise mode added.
  • (New) Standard VB3i - DIFF LED behaviour change (see latest online documentation)
  • (New) Kalman Filter - Added Longitudinal and Lateral jerk channels.
  • (New) Kalman Filter - IMU angle offsets no-longer cleared on software connection.
  • (New) Dual antenna - Slip angle calculation stability improvements.

BUG FIXES

  • (Fix) Standard VB3i - 20Hz RS232 brake test data calculation fixed.
  • (Fix) Kalman Filter - Fix for held speed observed around poor GPS conditions.
  • (Fix) Kalman Filter - Fix for implausible speed values observed around poor GPS conditions.
  • (Fix) Kalman Filter - Fix for erroneous behaviour possible with large IMU to antenna offsets.
  • (Fix) Kalman Filter - Improved initialisation stability.
  • (Fix) Kalman Filter - Improvements for IMU03 Kalman filter stability performance.
  • (Fix) ADAS - Fix to header file for Static point reference lane.
  • (Fix) CAN output updates (see latest online documentation) DGPS solution type added Kalman Filter status moved

2.04 build 19402 - January 2017

  • (New) New ADAS channels LngRref tg1/tg2.
  • (New) Leap second default set to 18 seconds.
  • (New) In Single/Multi Target mode, the number of contact points can be defined as either One or Two.
  • (Change) Vehico configuration is now enabled as a separate function, and not on mode selection.
  • (Change) Quantisation noise on Accel_tg1/2 removed.
  • (Change) Translated Slip Angle channels clamped to zero when True Heading drops out.
  • (Fix) True Heading 2 will no longer accumlate when True Heading drops out.
  • (Fix) Positional drift when Kalman Filter used in stand-alone GPS mode.
  • (Fix) Multi Static Point ADAS mode no longer fails on mode selection.
  • (Fix) Vehico heading corrected. To ensure full compatibility, the following software and firmware should also be updated; - VBOX Tools 2.17 b477 or later. - VBFMAN firmware 2.55 b2827 or later.

2.03 build 19147 - June 2016

  • (New) Robot Control
  • (New) Kalman Filter Expansion for ADAS modes
  • (New) Pitch & Roll offsets worked into Kalman Filter translation.
  • (New) IMU coasting (solution type 6)
  • (New) IMU Attitude channels added to VCI bus
  • (New) Firmware version added to VCI bus
  • (New) Topnet Live added to DGPS modes
  • (New) Elevation mask added to file header
  • (New) Status bit to indicate dual antenna lock
  • (Change) Logging strategy changed. Continuous logging mode, logging will now begin on every insertion of CF card
  • (Fixed) Gyro offset calibration for IMU03
  • (Fixed) ADAS Time to collision calculation
  • (Fixed) Analogue Input dropouts
  • (Fixed) Angle offset data (IMU) applied to output channels
  • (Fixed) Dual Antenna align now performs a ‘Clear’ of value before calculating and applying a new offset

2.02 build 18140 - October 2015

  • (Fixed) Fix for Internal analogue delay
  • (Fixed) Fix for analogue channels being lost on MFD after power cycle

2.02 build 18129 - August 2015

  • (Fixed) IMU attitude channels synchronised

2.02 build 18121 - August 2015

  • (Fixed) Moving Base now supported on V4 hardware.
    Note: earlier firmware versions do not support RTK Moving Base on V4 (1.3 and higher) hardware variants.

2.02 build 18120 - July 2015

RS232

  • (New) 'Solution Type' channel has been added to the RS232 serial stream when serial rate is set to 50Hz.

IMU Filter

  • (New) IMU integration Roof mount support.
  • (Changed) IMU integration filter improvements CAN
  • (Changed) Fixed CAN delay timing changed from 15.5ms to 20ms.
  • (Fixed) Fixed VCI channels communication to Multi-Function Display (DSP03)

ADAS

  • (New) Use of IMU_heading for ADAS calculations when dual antenna solution is not available.
  • (New) Use of Kalman Filter position for ADAS parameter calculation when satellites drop to zero.
  • (Changed) T2Csv-tg1 & T2Ctg-tg1 calculation change - improved noise reduction.

2.01 build 17399 - November 2014

  • (New) Added compatibility for IMU04 connected via CAN to be used for slip translations and true heading2 smoothing
  • (Fixed) Modifications for backwards compatibility with 1.2d hardware variants and earlier

2.01 build 17393 - October 2014

IMU Filter

  • (Change) Improvements to IMU04 filter performance, affecting velocity, pitch and roll accuracies
  • (Change) IMU04 pitch rate sign invert to remove inconsistency
  • (Fixed) Added IMU03 filter lever-arm correction compatibility CAN
  • (New) CAN delay option implemented. Allows user to set VBOX CAN output to a fixed 15.5ms delay, instead of minimum 8.5 +/- 1ms
  • (New) Addition of internal analogue channels for CAN pass through (Xtd Tx Identifiers)
  • (New) Add Dual antenna parameters to Racelogic CAN bus, so can now be displayed by Multi-function display (DSP03)
  • (Fixed) Modified Racelogic CAN bus throttling to maintain bus integrity and reliability when logging many channels (overload prevention) ADAS
  • (New) Multi Static point mode implemented
  • (New) Lane departure now has 4 corner points (previously two)
  • (New) Set points mode, allowing user to plot 24 points for each vehicle in vehicle separation
  • (New) Use of true heading (vehicle body angle) for ADAS calculations that previously used vehicle heading (improved Time to collision and range calculations at low speed)
  • (New) Content transmitted during 'Sync to target' mode added to transmit reference lane, vehicle offset and single antenna heading settings to target vehicle in single target ADAS mode (using radios in duplex mode). Allows simultaneous calculation of data in target vehicle for live display and logging.
  • (Changed) Angle channels now calculated from offset contact point to contact point in all ADAS modes (except Static point). Previously, calculations were antenna to antenna.
  • (Changed) Manual offset signing altered in vehicle separation. Offsets taken from antenna to collision point now.
  • (Changed) Autoset function removed from setting contact points menu (Fixed) Problem with loading corner offset points (.VBC file) in Lane departure mode
  • (Fixed) Range channel now correctly calculated when using large vehicle lateral offset values

Other fixes

  • (Fixed) Channel logging selection not altered after a power cycle
  • (Fixed) Removing spikes present when logging starts or stops

2.00 build 0086 - May 2014

  • Improved card writing strategy - The CF card had been changed to write in bigger blocks because of the intensity of the IMU integrations demands on the processor. This causes files to be corrupted if the card is removed or loses power without stopping the logging. Due to many customers using the device in this way and not using IMU integration, we have reinstated the original logging strategy in all circumstances except when IMU integration is turned on.
  • Additional UTC time channel removed - An additional UTC channel had been added to the dual antenna tab for diagnostic purposes. As this was not relevant to the customer, it has been removed.
  • 500Hz analogue data storage improved - An issue that caused a saw tooth pattern in the data because of the way the data is stored has been fixed.
  • CAN delay with IMU integration 'on' fixed - An issue was found with the CAN output being delayed when IMU integration is switched on, this has now been fixed.
  • True heading 2 added - The addition of the channel allows the VB3i to be used with ABD steering robots for path following.

2.00 build b68 - December 2013

  • IMU04 Compatibility
  • New 3 axis IMU Filter implemented

1.12 build 0028 - June 2013

  • 500Hz analogue input drop out fix
  • Speed Kalman filter fix
  • IMU tab duplication fix
  • Minor slip module channel behaviour adjustments

1.12 build 0022 - May 2013

  • Minor bug fix for IMU integration

1.12 build 0021 - May 2013

  • New ADAS Support
  • RTK Moving Base Support added
  • Requires VBOX Tools 2.13.5 b211 and VBOX Manager firmware 2.55

1.09 build 0021 - May 2012

  • Bug fix for VBOX Manager log continuous setting
  • RTCMv3 Support added (R10G10, R2G2, SL-RTK)

1.09 build 0018 - March 2012

  • Enable 500Hz logging
  • Various updates for compatibility with VBOX Tools v2.7.3.b99 (or later)

1.08 build 0023 - December

  • Bug fix for Cold start routine
  • Note: Customer SMI levels cannot be sent via VBOX Setup

1.08 build 0021 - December

  • New ADAS functionality
  • New file manager compatibility
  • Minor bug fixes

1.06 build 0020 - March

  • High resolution position available on the CAN bus CANVEL added
  • Support for new TRG3_H5 engines (VB3iR10G10)
  • Update for ADAS - time to collision
  • VBOX Tools version 2.2.2b42 or higher required

1.05 build 0010 - December

  • VCI channel fix
  • Improvements made for IMU integration
  • Vehicle Separation compatibility with 100Hz operation
  • Improvements made for CAN modules

1.01 build 0000 - May 2009

  • IMU integration functionality added.
  • Note: IMU will require firmware version 1.25 or higher and VBOX Tools 1.9.8b3 or higher.

1.00 build 0035 - March 2009

  • Analogue channel names can be changed and logged correctly.
  • The digital output level setting now functions correctly with CAN modules.
  • Front panel I2C comms have been modified to fix an occasional start up problem.
  • Updates to support new hardware.

1.00 build 0028 - March 2009 - Main application

  • 00.00 build 0006 - Front Panel
  • Original Commercial Release
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