Compared with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, what is the advantage of UWB?

With the rapid development of the Internet of Things, various wireless communication technologies have sprung up, among which ultra-wideband (UWB) technology has emerged in the positioning field with its unique advantages. This article will introduce UWB technology in detail, compare its positioning differences with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, and list several actual products using UWB technology.

1. Introduction to UWB technology

UWB, ultra-wideband technology, is a carrier-less communication technology that uses nanosecond-level non-sinusoidal narrow pulses to transmit data. Because it occupies a wider spectrum range, it is called ultra-wideband. UWB technology has many advantages, such as low power consumption, high security, low cost, etc. In terms of positioning, UWB uses broadband pulse communication technology, which has strong anti-interference ability, greatly reducing positioning errors and achieving centimeter-level positioning accuracy.

2. Comparison of UWB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi positioning technologies

Positioning accuracy: UWB positioning accuracy can reach centimeter level, Bluetooth positioning accuracy is centimeter to meter level, and Wi-Fi positioning accuracy is only meter level. Therefore, UWB has obvious advantages in scenarios that require high-precision positioning.

Anti-multipath and anti-interference capabilities: UWB has strong anti-multipath and anti-interference capabilities due to its special signal transmission method, and its performance is better than Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This makes UWB positioning more stable and reliable in actual environments.

Transmission distance: In terms of transmission distance, Wi-Fi performs best, followed by UWB, and Bluetooth has the shortest transmission distance. Therefore, Wi-Fi and UWB have more advantages in scenarios that require longer-distance transmission.

Construction cost: The construction cost of the UWB positioning system is relatively high, mainly reflected in the deployment of hardware equipment and base stations. However, considering the high accuracy and stability of UWB, this cost investment is still worth it in many scenarios.

3. Application of UWB technology products

UWB digital key: UWB digital key is a new key entry system that integrates three wireless communication technologies: UWB, BLE Bluetooth and NFC. It uses ToF time of flight to accurately measure the distance between the body anchor point and the digital key, which can provide 10 cm Level-one high-precision position awareness capability is also the core function of this technology in automotive scenarios. UWB ranging consumes very high power and cannot broadcast and connect continuously like Bluetooth. Therefore, the UWB ranging function is based on Bluetooth connection. Bluetooth has low power consumption. In remote places, Bluetooth connection can be made first for identity authentication, data interaction, and rough positioning. After continuing to approach the vehicle and reaching the UWB ranging range (about ten meters away from the vehicle), the UWB ranging function of each anchor point is turned on. Each anchor point enters the working state, and real-time positioning can be achieved.

Liveness detection: It is mainly used in cars for Child Presence Detection (CPD). It is also called Rear Occupant Alert (ROA) or Hot Car abroad. UWB radar provides a new solution. No privacy concerns (compared to cameras), penetrating power (compared to cameras), moderate cost (lower than millimeter wave radar), low power consumption (lower than millimeter wave radar), and currently seems to be a better choice for children in the car Testing solutions exist to meet various regulatory requirements.

Automatic parking AVP: Relying on more accurate perception, more powerful computing power, and more advanced algorithms, automatic parking can realize low-speed automatic driving, autonomous obstacle avoidance, intelligent search for parking spaces, and autonomous vehicle parking in smart parking lots. . The vehicle enters the parking lot and automatically finds a parking space, which is the core of the AVP function. Without any control, the vehicle automatically and accurately finds a parking space in the parking lot, which is the focus and difficulty of AVP. In environments such as underground parking lots/tunnels, GPS/Beidou and other satellite signals cannot be received accurately, and the environment is similar and the light is dark. If you only rely on laser/millimeter wave/vision/inertial navigation and other positioning methods, there are potential stability problems. If there is UWB positioning signals similar to indoor GPS can be used as assistance, which can make the system work more stable. Although there are many mainstream and mature positioning technologies in the market, such as UWB positioning technology, Bluetooth positioning technology, Wi-Fi positioning technology, GPS positioning technology, RFID positioning technology, geomagnetic positioning technology, ultrasonic positioning technology, etc., the only relevant technologies that can satisfy It is UWB positioning technology. Its positioning accuracy is as high as centimeter level. After all, automatic parking technology requires very high accuracy in garage positioning and vehicle positioning. It can completely avoid poor garage recognition rate and poor obstacle avoidance rate. Condition.

Kick the trunk: The kick is not sensitive enough and often cannot be kicked open, especially when it rains; or when people walk by the tailgate during the car wash, the electric tailgate switch will be accidentally triggered to automatically open the trunk. Theoretically, the capacitor solution is also sensitive to electromagnetic interference and is prone to failure when the surrounding electromagnetic environment is complex.

UWB radar provides another option. The stability is high enough (compared to the capacitive solution), the cost is moderate (more expensive than the capacitive solution, cheaper than the millimeter wave solution), and the power consumption is low (lower than the millimeter wave radar).

Ultra-wideband UWB positioning solution: adopts high-precision positioning products based on UWB technology, including UWB positioning base stations and tags. The real-time position of the target is calculated through the TOF/TDOA algorithm, and the positioning accuracy can reach 10cm in an ideal environment. This solution is widely used in positioning scenarios such as tunnels, substations, factories, warehousing, logistics, and rail transit, providing a high-precision positioning solution that is simple to deploy and easy to integrate.

UWB module and work card: UWB technology can be used to develop various positioning tags, such as UWB modules, UWB work cards, etc. These products can be integrated with other devices to achieve real-time positioning and tracking of personnel and improve management efficiency.

UWB watch and base station: UWB watch is a wearable device that realizes high-precision positioning function by communicating with UWB base station. This type of product can be used in places such as nursing homes, hospitals, schools, etc. that need to pay attention to the location of people, and provide convenient positioning services.

4. Conclusion

To sum up, UWB technology has significant advantages in the field of positioning, especially in high-precision positioning. Although its construction cost is relatively high, it is still widely used in many scenarios that require high-precision and stable positioning. As technology continues to develop and mature, it is believed that UWB will exert its unique value in more fields.