Antenna Delay-Independent Simultaneous Ranging for UWB-Based RTLSs

Abstract

The ultra-wideband (UWB)-based real-time localization system (RTLS) is a promising technology for locating and tracking assets and personnel in real-time within a defined indoor environment since it provides high-ranging accuracy. However, its performance can be affected by the underlying antenna delays of UWB nodes, which act as a source of error during range estimations. Usually, measurement of the antenna delays is performed separately as a dedicated standalone procedure. Such an additional measurement procedure makes the UWB-based RTLS more tedious with manual interventions. Moreover, the air-time occupancy during the transmission and reception of signaling messages for range estimations between UWB node pairs also limits the serviceable capability of these networks. In this regard, we present a novel simultaneous ranging scheme that requires limited air-time occupancy during range estimations between UWB node pairs and also compensates for the error from the antenna delays. This paper provides a detailed mathematical modeling, system design, and implementation procedure of the proposed scheme. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme for locating a mobile node in an indoor environment is validated through experimental analysis. The results show that, compared to the state-of-the-art two-way ranging (TWR) method, the proposed scheme eliminates the requirement of dedicated standalone antenna delay measurement procedures of the nodes, increases air efficiency through the provision of simultaneous ranging, and provides relative root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) improvement for range and position estimations of approximately 54.52% and 39.96%, respectively.