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Real Time Tracking System ~RTLS

houssam_ben

Hello everyone hope you are doing well, I'm currently working on an RTLS (Real-Time Location System) project as part of my end-of-study project in electromechanical engineering. This RTLS project aims to track a semi-final product within the production plant to minimize its Work in Process (WIP) time.

The solution we are implementing involves using UWB (Ultra-Wideband) tags affixed to each product (approximately 2000 products), along with antennas/anchors to receive signals from these tags. We plan to employ algorithms such as TDOL, AOA, or TOF to estimate the location accurately.

Here are some key considerations:

- The plant is large, measuring 400m*300m, and features numerous obstacles.
- We aim for a refresh time of 10 up to 30 seconds.
- We are open to dividing the plant into different sections (up to 8).
- The only data to be transferred is an id (1 to 2000) that will later be associated to the product id.

I'm eager to receive input and advice to your fellow junior member, as this project is significant for my future career prospects. Please feel free to highlight any challenges or suggest alternatives from your expertise.

If possible, I have a few questions:
- Can passive tags be used to minimize the need for frequent tag charging?
- What types of antennas are suitable for this application?
- Which devices are used to compute the algorithms?
- What type of data is typically transmitted from the antenna to the computing device and from the computing device to a computer, to facilitate integration with a NODE RED interface?

  • You have a very interesting project. I wish you all the best with successfully completing your studies.

    To start, I would probably use slightly different terminology to better reflect the system. I prefer the term beacon rather that tag as beacons imply that they are devices which are used to broadcast a signal containing a unique identifier. Whilst tags also contain UID's, tags don't necessarily mean that they broadcast this info. Tags tend to store a UID, which can then be read by a contactless reader (where distance between reader and tag is determined by protocol and technology).

    As Beacons broadcast, they are always considered to be active. These would therefore need a power source, which could entail energy harvesting, but generally they would use battery power. Longevity of battery then typically dictated by how frequent the beacon broadcasts and at what transmission strength.

    Antenna design is dependent on the electronic hardware, the enclosure and the material used to make the enclosure. If the beacon is in contact with a human body or metal, for example, then this will impact transmit distance and directionality. Environment also plays a part. If transmit strength too strong for example you could find echo's, which would cause error (confusion) on the receiver side.

    Re algorithms. In the real world you would probably find both TDOA/AoA and ToF being used to ensure consistent results. This is a common mistake in a lab. Certain methods may prove to be accurate but then fail on getting a consistent or repeatable result. Worth noting that TDOA/AoA tends to be more complex to implement but then it also provides more info than ToF algorithms.

    Re your last question. Well that's application specific. Certain industries may well have a defined set of requirements. Up to you to find out.

  • in reply to BigG

    Thank you  , for your helpful reply. This informations will steer me in the right direction. Actually, I'm studying a solution to work with active beacons equipped with batteries that will be charged according to a predetermined schedule.