Omnisense Cluster Geolocation System:

● Omnisense S500 devices or 3rd party devices/tags

● 2.4 GHz CSS IEEE 802.15.4a PHY

● 3.5 - 7 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 PHY

● Bluetooth Smart (BLE) for beaconing

● TOA (time-of-arrival) of radio signals

● 20 cm accuracy UWB, 1 m for CSS

● Update rate up to 2 per second

● Up to 400 metre radio ranges (CSS)

● Fully meshed network

● Secure end to end

● Full 3D positioning

● Quality reporting for position outputs

● Attitude: heading, pitch, roll

● Behaviours: fall detection etc.

● Fixed and mobile nodes identical

● No special anchors or fixed access point

● Support for large networks

● Smart zoning of positions

● TCP/IP interface for applications

● IP base API: HTTP, JSON, GeoJson, MQQT, REST

 

The devices in an Omnisense S500 Cluster Geolocation system  form a wireless mesh network. Each device broadcasts a radio message periodically. Neighbours within range measure the precise time of arrival of the messages broadcast by neighbours. The sophisticated Joint Timing and Location Engine (JTLE) uses these measurements and the data contained in the messages to compute the positions of the Nodes relative to one another.

By using one-to-many broadcasts and measurements of precise time-to-arrival (TOA) the system is able to achieve high accuracy and it works both indoors and outdoors.

Being a relative positioning system means that there is no need for special access points or anchor nodes to be installed. The S500 deals with the requirement to generate absolute positions in an extremely elegant and simple way: A number of the sensor nodes are associated with features of the environment. This is achieved entirely through the way the system is configured and managed.

The system is managed through a straight web interface or the omniWhere application software running on the whereBox.

At the heart of the system is the whereBox which uses are wide range of measurements from devices to compute the best possible positions and locations and presents them in high level user application context. Outputs are delivered using standard protocols (HTTP, REST, JSON, GeoJson, MQQT etc.) using the Omnisense API.

Whilst the position (X and Y or latitude and longitude) are core parameters, location is also about height (Z), velocity, direction, orientation, time and in many cases behaviour too. The S500 system is a full 3D system and the Nodes include motion sensors that allow it to deliver information about the attitude (heading, pitch and roll) of the sensor. It also includes smart algorithms to interpret the position and behaviour in a contextual way: for example zone occupancy, neighbour associations or fall alert.

For more details see our White Papers.

Accuracy is usually the first thing people want to know about performance. Like almost any locating system (including GPS) the computed position is a statistical measure of the position. Accuracy is usually quoted as a distance representing the radius of the circle on a 2D plane within which 50% (half) of the calculated positions lie. These should be quoted relative to a ground truth position, but often they are computed relative to the mean position.

Since the S500 system is a relative positioning system Omnisense uses both measures depending on whether the system is completely free or linked to the fixed environment.

Other performance parameters are often equally important:

● Response time, update rate, latency

● Confidence in output position

● Orientation or attitude

When choosing a solution to meet the needs of an application these and other parameters are just as important to the overall benefit and commercial value of the solution.

Omnisense is happy to help advise customers on how technical performance affects their application in practical and commercial ways.

Omnisense has developed patents (granted and pending), know-how and expertise in the field of locating and positioning technologies, including satellite navigation and time transfer.

Our products are built around this IPR. Omnisense is willing to consider licensing IPR to partners in addition to, or as an alternative to selling products.

 

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tel: +44 1223 651390, email: info@omnisense.co.uk