A break-through in the application of a radio frequency (RF) technology called ultra-wideband (UWB) has enabled Sensing&Control to provide a real-time location system (RTLS) which delivers very high positional accuracy in traditionally challenging environments at reliability levels unachievable by legacy technologies such as conventional RFID or WiFi.

Highlights

• precision device location in space and time, for example to associate the data from a bar code scanner with its location in a warehouse
• providing the location of a pallet of goods placed on a warehouse shelf by a forklift truck by associating the precise location of the truck's fork at the time of placement with the pallet or shipment ID.
• automatic context sensitive proximity detection between objects, for example to select the correct program to drive an automatic tool based on its proximity to a car of a particular type and model without any manual input.
• identifcation and location of cars in fnishing bays during final quality assurance.
• determining if during an emergency procedure employees have all reached designated mustering areas or indeed if there is a "man down" requiring assistance.

Applications

Manufacturing

UWB solutions are being delivered to car, truck, boat, farm equipment, bus and industrial equipment manufacturers across the world. The UWB System will deliver improved quality at a reduced cost to make your manufacturing operation more competitive. With the advent of the UWB System it is now possible to provide context and location-aware support to workers, improving quality by reducing errors (and therefore reducing the cost of fixing them) and increasing efficiency by reducing process execution times.

Logistics

The introduction of the UWB precise real-time location technology provides the logistics industry with entirely new possibilities to improve the quality of service and reduce costs. In particular accuracy, Reliability, Versatility, Multi applications, Scalability and, flexibility

Transportation and transit

Keeping track of where buses and other vehicles are parked represents a significant cost to many transit organizations, bus companies, and school districts, worldwide. UWB provides these organizations with the ability to automatically record the location of each bus within and surrounding its garage facilities. Many organizations already track their buses with GPS. However, GPS cannot provide the accuracy, nor can it be relied upon indoors.

Innovative Applications

A precise real-time location system (RTLS) can be used for a variety of imaginative and innovative applications. Included in this section are just a small selection of the ideas that are being researched and implemented by our partners and customers.

Think of any complex process for which you would either like to have a real-time view, or would like to understand what happens over time. By placing tags on the assets or people involved, it is possible to interact with, record patterns, react, control other processes, determine status in real-time or allow people to use three dimensional space as a user interface.

Some examples are: Improving Exhibition Effectiveness, Retail Analysis, Broadcasting Camera Tracking, Theatre and Soundstage, Art Exhibits, Increasing Safety in Hazardous Environments, Automated Distance Learning