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Original: RF technologies
Today we will briefly learn about UWB technology.
01 History of UWB Development
Originating from military technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is not a new thing. It has a history of several decades, but in the past it was only used in military radars and positioning equipment. On February 14, 2002, this wireless technology was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States for civil communications for the first time, and the 3.1G~10.6GH Hz frequency band was officially opened to UWB for indoor communication purposes, which attracted widespread attention from countries around the world. Since 1998, the FCC has begun to widely solicit industry opinions on the interference of ultra-wideband wireless devices to the original narrowband wireless communication system and their mutual compatibility. Despite many different opinions from the US military and aviation industry, the FCC still opened the application license of UWB technology in the field of short-range wireless communications, which fully demonstrates the broad application prospects and huge market appeal of this technology.
02 Development prospects of UWB
A report pointed out that by 2021, global UWB shipments are expected to reach more than 200 million units, and by 2027, it will exceed 1.2 billion units. According to its estimates, smartphones will become the largest application market for UWB in 2027, followed by automobiles, smart home devices, wearable devices, consumer tags and RTLS B2B.
Data source: Techno Systems Research
03 What is UWB technology?
Baidu Encyclopedia:
Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology that does not use a sinusoidal carrier, but uses nanosecond non-sinusoidal narrow pulses to transmit data, so it occupies a wide spectrum range.
UWB bandwidth display diagram
UWB spectrum resources
04 UWB positioning principle
Currently, there are three commonly used UWB ranging methods, namely:
(1) TOF (Time of flight): distance measurement is achieved by measuring the time the UWB signal flies between the base station and the tag.
(2) TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival): positioning is performed using the time difference between the UWB signal from the tag to each base station.
(3) PDOA (Phase Difference Of Arrival): the angle of arrival phase is used to measure the azimuth relationship between the base station and the tag.
TOF ranging principle diagram
TDOA ranging principle diagram
PDOA ranging principle diagram
05 Technical indicators and characteristics of UWB
The main indicators of UWB are as follows:
Frequency range: 3.1GHz~10.6GHz;
System power consumption: 1mW~4mW;
Pulse width: 0.2ns~1.5ns;
Repetition period: 25ns~1ms;
Transmitting power: <-41.3 dBm/MHz;
Data rate: tens to hundreds of Mb/s;
Multipath decomposition delay: ≤1ns;
Multipath fading: ≤5dB;
System capacity: much higher than 3G system;
Spatial capacity: 1000kb/m2.
Indoor Positioning Technology Comparison 1
Indoor Positioning Technology Comparison 2
06 UWB Standard Organization
Each wireless transmission technology usually has a standard organization responsible for the formulation of relevant standards and technical certification, such as the Bluetooth Technology Alliance, Wi-Fi Alliance, International Telecommunication Union, etc. In the field of UWB technology, there are currently two major organizations: the FIRA Alliance and the UWBA Ultra-Wideband Alliance.
The FiRa Alliance is committed to developing and widely adopting the secure fine ranging and positioning functions brought by interoperable ultra-wideband (UWB) technology to provide users with a seamless user experience.
Members of the FiRa Alliance mainly develop products based on the UWB secure fine ranging technology of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and develop application scenarios of UWB technology across various vertical business fields. The FiRa Alliance works closely with other industry organizations, such as the IEEE, Wi-Fi Alliance, and the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), focusing on UWB use cases operating in the available 6-9 GHz frequency band.
The members of the FiRa Alliance are divided into sponsoring members, contributor members, associate members, adopter members, test laboratory members, academic and educational members, many of which are familiar brands.
The UWB Alliance is focused on providing a favorable regulatory and spectrum management environment under the 802.15.4z standard to maximize the growth of the UWB market. The UWB Alliance aims to promote various vertical industries to demonstrate the value of UWB for the Internet of Things and Industry 4.0, and build a global ecosystem across the entire UWB value chain from chips to services.
In addition, the UWB Alliance is currently advocating for new spectrum to expand UWB to 12.4 GHz and emerging higher frequency bands in Europe.
07 Development of UWB chips and modules
08 UWB technology application market
iPhones equipped with Apple's U1 ultra-wideband chip can quickly share files with each other. When the phone is close to the HomePod mini smart speaker with a built-in ultra-wideband chip, it can play music and get personalized listening suggestions; after binding with the AirTag with a built-in ultra-wideband chip, the iPhone has the ability to accurately locate and track objects indoors.
Xiaomi's "One-finger Connection" UWB technology function demonstration. When the phone is pointed at an electric fan that supports UWB technology, a control card will pop up on the phone, and the fan can be controlled without a physical remote control or downloading a separate APP. In addition, Xiaomi's "One-finger Connection" also enables operations such as smart TV screen projection and smart door locks that open when approached.
On the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, UWB technology is the first to realize the "point to share" function that facilitates efficient and accurate file transmission. When a user uses the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra to share files to another Samsung phone that supports UWB technology, UWB technology can identify nearby devices that can be shared. When the user points the phone in the direction of the device to be shared, the device will be highlighted above the sharing panel on the phone screen. After confirming each other, the file can be transferred at an ultra-high speed. During this operation, UWB technology ensures an efficient transmission rate, while also ensuring that files will not be transferred to other devices due to misoperation, allowing users to enjoy an efficient sharing experience with peace of mind.
09 In summary,
UWB technology can truly solve users' pain points, the technology can be implemented, and large-scale use will be popularized in the future.
Reference: Some data comes from the Internet.
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