WINKEL

The ability to determine the position of objects at any given time (real-time localization) is a key technology of the Internet of Things (IoT) and digital transformation. Satellite-based navigation systems, such as GPS, are well established outside buildings. However, such systems cannot be used inside buildings, so alternative approaches must be used.

WINKEL's aim is to develop a new type of low-infrastructure localization system based on ultra-wideband (UWB) radio technology, which can be integrated into existing environments with little effort and enables a large number of mobile objects to be located in real time. The core of the innovation is the combination of highly accurate angle of arrival and extremely fast and also highly accurate distance measurements based on UWB signals in order to determine the unknown position of mobile objects.

The distance between UWB transceivers can be determined by measuring the signal propagation time. By precisely detecting the signal input at the antennas of several UWB transceivers, it is also possible to estimate the angle of arrival (AoA). As part of the project, special, novel radio nodes, so-called AoA anchors, are therefore being developed, which can provide relative angle information regarding other communication partners in addition to distance information.

AoA anchors know their own position in space and therefore serve as reference or infrastructure units. They can be installed in a fixed location or on mobile platforms, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs) or forklift trucks. As mobile infrastructure nodes, AoA anchors can therefore increase the coverage of an environment with reference data and also reduce the number of fixed anchors required.

To localize mobile objects, they are equipped with a UWB transceiver (tag) or mobile AoA anchor. It is then possible to locate an object simply by knowing the relative angle and distance to a single AoA anchor. In contrast to other approaches, this reduces the number of infrastructure nodes required. By shortening the time required per distance measurement, a large number of objects can also be localized with high accuracy in real time.

Furthermore, in the context of autonomous vehicle navigation, in addition to knowledge of the vehicle's own position, orientation information is of immense importance. This can be provided directly by a single AoA anchor per vehicle. Finally, the relative positioning of other vehicles or persons for the purpose of collision protection can also be realized with a single AoA anchor installed on the vehicle.

In addition to recording measurement data, all radio nodes can communicate with each other and thus exchange user data. As soon as the position of a mobile object has been estimated, this can be made available to other participants and thus serve as additional reference information. This process, known as "cooperative localization", can further increase the coverage and accuracy of the overall system and is therefore used in the project.