ZED-F9R - Application note 
UBX-22035176 - R01  Contents  Page 19 of 30 
C1-Public    
6  Sensor fusion setup 
The final  and most important  part of the setup is setting  up the receiver  for sensor fusion. The 
receiver  depends heavily on  the  internal  IMU  data,  odometer data  from the vehicle,  and  proper 
configuration. 
6.1  Providing odometer data to the receiver 
As mentioned in 1.1.4, the receiver requires either wheel ticks or speed data to be supplied to it. Wheel 
ticks may be sent through either the dedicated pins for wheel ticks and direction, or through a serial 
interface as UBX-ESF-MEAS messages. Speed data may be sent through a serial interface only. The 
rest of the chapter covers cases where the serial interface is used. Consult chapter 3.2.5 of the ZED-
F9R Integration manual [1] for a detailed description of wheel ticks and speed.  
6.1.1  Wheel ticks 
Wheel ticks represent the rotation of a wheel: every rotation generates a constant number of ticks. 
Through the wheel tick sensor resolution (ticks per revolution) and wheel diameter, the information 
can be converted into the distance travelled by the wheel. 
The wheel ticks should be absolute, meaning the value starts from zero and increments regardless of 
the direction of travel. The direction is indicated with its own bit in the input message. 
Wheel ticks can be input from either a single source (single tick) or from both the rear-left and rear-
right  wheel of a vehicle.  When providing a single tick, the value should represent the vehicle’s 
movement at the center of the rear axle.  This can be  achieved  by averaging the wheel tick 
measurement of  both  rear-wheels.  Providing rear-wheel ticks is  preferred whenever available.  The 
UBX-ESF-MEAS data types for wheel ticks are: 
•  single tick = 10 
•  rear-left wheel tick = 8 
•  rear-right wheel tick = 9 
For optimal performance, the wheel tick resolution should be less than 5 cm, i.e., one tick should 
correspond to a displacement of 5 cm. 
6.1.2  Speed 
Speed is input as a signed value in millimeters per second. The UBX-ESF-MEAS data type for speed is 
11. 
6.1.3  Data stream quality 
When sending odometer data with UBX-ESF-MEAS messages, ensure that the data stream is of good 
quality. For optimal performance: 
•  Supply odometer data at a rate of 10 Hz. 
•  Send data at even intervals, e.g., every 100 ms for 10 Hz input. 
•  Data must be sent with delay less than 10 % of the sampling interval. 
•  Data loss must be less than 1 %. 
•  Give odometer data priority  over other communication with the receiver.  If  the odometer data 
stream is being hampered by other data, a separate serial port may be used.  
•  Use the highest baudrate available to minimize the latency caused by transmission.