Time Domain Enhances Its UWB Location System

In addition, Time Domain has added new algorithms to its location engine, which calculates tag locations. The first version was only able to locate tags with in a defined zone and via two-dimensional calculating that could determine a tag's whereabouts within a room. Version 2.0, on the other hand, uses an algorithm that chooses the best four readers to determine not only where in room a tag is but also which floor the tag is on. Time Domain calls this multi-floor capability 2.5-D, or two-and-a-half dimensions. It is almost 3-D, but it isn't as process- or memory-intensive as 3-D calculations, says Clawson. "We didn't want to add more processing or memory requirements on the system, because that can slow the system down, and we want to be able to process location quickly and process more tags," he adds.

In addition, Time Domain has added algorithms for linear calculations; to take advantage of these algorithms, a user needs to install two readers so they are lined up with each other and no more than 90 feet (such as in a long corridor or on a manufacturing line) to calculate tag positions within that linear space. "You can accurately predict, within a meter, along a line where a tag is. So if a tag is on a car as it moves down a manufacturing line, you can predict if the car is 22 feet along the line, or at a point at 23 feet along the line. And then you can determine where the car is within the manufacturing process," Clawson says. "This is all designed to reduce the amount of infrastructure required. Customers want the minimal amount of hardware that will still allow them to meet their needs. Some may only care if the asset is or isn't there, so zone-based tracking with just one reader works fine. In other cases they may only want to track assets along a line, and you can do that with two readers."

Time Domain has also improved the scalability of its RTLS. With version 1.0, customers has to deploy distribution panels that power the readers and basically set the readers' internal clocks so that they are timed synchronously—a requirement for TDOA-based systems. But one six-port panel could only cover up to 36,000 feet, and one 24-port panel could only cover 120,000 to 200,000 square feet, so PLUS was limited in the square feet it could cover. Now, Time Domain has engineered the distribution panels so multiple panels can be integrated, enabling PLUS to scale up to cover facilities that are much larger.

Finally, Time Domain has cut the manufacturing costs so it can price its readers more competitively. "Something we've heard is that people will say UWB is really expensive. We've heard it is the best type of system for precision location, and we've also heard that it is the most expensive and therefore only useful for those business process that require precise tracking," says Clawson. "That perception had some truth because [UWB RTLS] typically requires 20 to 30 percent more readers than a Wi-Fi-enabled RTLS. So we redesigned our readers so our manufacturers can make them more cheaply, and we are passing those savings on to our customer. We've lowered the total cost of ownership by 50 percent so even though it requires a few more readers than Wi-Fi, our costs are on par."

A new PLUS 2.0 reader is $995, with volume discounts available. Time Domain's UWB tags cost $40 apiece, with volume discounts also available.