Ultra-wideband technology, or , gets in the focus of digital media or is being mentioned in relation to the flagship products of the top companies more and more often. Nevertheless, it still remains an underdog among conventional wireless technologies and suffers from a lack of media exposure. UWB So, this article intends to solve this injustice. It is a review that contains a brief historical perspective, a description of the general principles, methods, application fields, and use cases, and analyzes the capabilities and perspectives. Content Overview About UWB technology History of development Pros and cons of UWB technology UWB localization methods Applications and use cases Conclusion About UWB technology UWB is a wireless communication technology that uses an ultra-wide spectrum of the carrier signal and allows data to be transmitted over short distances with extremely low power consumption. According to : ITU Radiocommunication Sector “Ultra-wideband technology (UWB) is a technology for short-range radiocommunication, involving the intentional generation and transmission of radio-frequency energy that is spread over a very large frequency range, which may overlap several frequency bands allocated to radiocommunication services. Devices using UWB technology typically have intentional radiation from the antenna with either a –10 dB bandwidth of at least 500 MHz or a –10 dB fractional bandwidth greater than 0.2”. The main method of UWB communication is the transmission of a series of short pulses, each with a duration of about 1 nanosecond. And since the shorter the pulse the wider its spectrum, such pulses require a much larger (compared to narrow-band communications) bandwidth. Hence the term “ultra-wideband”. Another feature is a very low signal level, close to the strength of radio noise. Because of this, UWB coexists with other, more traditional technologies without causing interference. radio communication History of development The method of pulse transmission of signals was known . At that time, improved versions of the spark transmitter, with which Heinrich Hertz was going to prove the existence of electromagnetic waves, were widely used in . at the end of the 80s of the XIX century the organization of wireless communication between ships and coastal stations Later, during World War II, pulse radio technology was used in numerous military radars. , Soviet scientists, trying to improve power systems, began extensive research in this area. They were , although the scope of application was still mainly military. In the 1950s the first to understand that ultra-short pulses can transmit more information about an object , UWB-based radar systems began to be used for civilian applications: ground scanning, buildings, positioning, collision warning, liquid level detection, intruder detection, and in mobile radar stations. In the 1970s , dated 17.04.1973, is considered a milestone in the development of the technology and emphasizes one of the major advantages of UWB - coexistence with common standards without interference. The Ross' US Patent 3,728,632 , due to growing business interest, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved for regulated commercial use of the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz radio spectrum. In 2002 , the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) published the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, which defines the physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layer for low-rate wireless personal area networks (LR-WPAN). A security-focused extension of the standard was introduced in 2020 in 802.15.4z, which introduced the physical layer PHY CSS (Linear Frequency Modulation at 2450 MHz), defined a two-way ranging method, and added a substitution cipher. In 2003 It wasn't until a few years ago, , that UWB became known to a wider end-user audience when world-renowned companies such as Apple and Samsung began introducing functionality based on this technology into their consumer segment devices. in 2019 Pros and cons of UWB technology One of the of UWB is its due to its high timing resolution and short wavelength. That is why the technology is so good for distance measurement and tracking: UWB is 100 times more accurate than Wi-Fi or Bluetooth Low Energy in such tasks and provides accuracy within a few centimeters instead of a few meters. main advantages resistance to the multipath effect The use of UWB, in turn, gives when compared to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. This makes it possible to deploy multiple UWB-based systems in the same environment without causing conflicts with other standards. high resilience to frequency-selective fading makes UWB an ideal candidate for automatic positioning systems of fast-moving objects in real-time, e.g. drones. The extremely low latency as a consequence of the low power of the generated pulses. The latest change has increased data security by introducing a new physical layer of line-frequency modulation, adding encryption techniques such as scrambled timestamp and substitution cipher. Another key advantage is the high degree of data protection IEEE 802.15.04z-2020 Other advantages of UWB include: No restrictions on the availability of the radio spectrum; Simultaneous support of hundreds of channels; Wide range of data rates: from 4 Mbit/s to 675 Mbit/s and higher, depending on the frequency; Inherent support of the dozens of topologies; Flexible use of spectrum; Ultra-low power consumption: 2 mW @1 Mbps, 6 μW @1 kbps; Low chip cost: ~2 – 5 USD for mass production. But, of course, everything is not so smooth... Due to the short pulse length and ultra-wide spectrum, (compared to narrowband transmission) . the throughput of UWB drops much more with distance In theory, (when the latter is not limited by regulations) . wide bandwidth and high power of the signal can interfere with existing systems and communication lines In addition, in a number of countries ( , most of which are in the former Soviet Union) by state agencies and security services. In Russia, for example, AirTags trackers are forced to use Bluetooth instead of the originally conceived UWB. the availability of spectrum 12 countries is limited UWB localization methods Let's look at how the technology implements one of its key advantages - ultra-precise distance determination. Two-way ranging (TWR) UWB uses — the time to deliver “request-response” packets — to measure the distance between devices, rather than , which is used in other standards. ToF (Time-of-Flight) RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) This method calculates the distance between the tag and the anchor by determining the ToF and then multiplying it by the speed of light. The more complex Double-Sided Two-Way Ranging (DS-TWR) implicitly corrects for clock offset errors but requires more data packets and, as a result, consumes more power: ToF =1/2*(T1'T2'-T1T2)/(T1'+T2'+T1+T2) Time-Difference of Arrival (TDoA) Of course, ToF measurement using a single anchor will not give the location of the tag, but with the help of several external anchors the UWB is able to determine the two- and three-dimensional position of the tag in space within a certain area. At the same time, the tag packets are exchanged with the anchors, and the difference in the time of receiving such packets is calculated. Depending on what is the receiving side, two topologies are recognized: , like for example in GPS; Tag-Side Time-Difference of Arrival (TS-TDoA) . Anchor-Side Time-Difference of Arrival (AS-TDoA) Phase difference of arrival (PDoA) Note that the ToF calculation only determines the distance, but not the direction. method solves this problem, as well as the problem with the organization of additional infrastructure. It is done with two antennas on at least one of the devices. The phase difference of the received signal on the antennas allows you to calculate the The Phase Difference of Arrival (PDoA) angle of arrival of the signal (Angle of Arrival, AoA). Applications and use cases Most of the applications of the UWB technology utilize either its fine-ranging security capabilities or a combination of both. Being, for a long time, attractive mostly for military and industrial purposes, the technology recently has found new implementation due to the current state-of-art in consumer electronics: wearables, smartphones, and smart infrastructure. Fine ranging capabilities With UWB pinpoint location within a few centimeters of all kinds of objects becomes real. , UWB helps people to find necessary services in hospitals, provides proximity-based data like patient medical records to the staff, and locates patients for caregivers. is also handy when it comes to a quick search of small items or expensive and important equipment such as defibrillators. In healthcare Medical assets tracking UWB radar properties are used in which also finds its application in smart buildings with presence detection, baby monitors, medical applications, and fall detection. the remote measurement of vital parameters such as heart rate and breathing rate The technology has an extremely wide application in indoor navigation when guidance through different kinds of premises - shopping malls, hospitals, parking lots, production sites - is necessary. UWB can be used during an by tracking and tracing anyone remaining on-site. emergency evacuation is one of the most relevant issues in the pandemic period. The UWB-enabled badges and wristbands can warn when getting close and alert when violating the safe zone with sub 10 cm accuracy. Social distancing With UWB production processes can be digitalized and optimized through which improves item utilization rates and saves time. Production site becomes safer with utilizing TWR method of UWB. tools & equipment tracking anti-collision detection systems And of course, already widely known attached to the key fobs or backpack and paired with your smartphone saves time finding important personal items. UWB tags Access control and passive keyless entry With Time-of-Flight calculation, UWB ensures high accuracy in ranging as well as the security of the transmitted data, while calculating the angle of arrival (AoA) makes it possible to define the movement direction. Therefore, UWB-enabled devices can understand whether a user is approaching a locked door or leaving and determine which side of the door this is happening on. , most commonly — Bluetooth. Bluetooth is used to initiate ranging and to transfer data, while UWB is directly responsible for ranging. In the case of access control, UWB is used in pair with other protocols The new physical layer (PHY) added in IEEE 802.15.4z and related to cryptographic protection minimizes the success of . This opens up a huge number of possibilities: and much more. MITM attacks smart locks in apartments and garage doors, physical access control systems at production sites, rental services, digital keys for vehicles In early 2022, Samsung in collaboration with Zigbang announced the release of a . To unlock this lock you do not even need to take your smartphone out of your pocket. "smart door lock" In January 2021, Apple and confirmed that it is adding a wider range of digital key and digital ID options to iOS 15 and to watchOS 8 for Apple Watch users. Google’s Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro also support UWB digital key, as well as Android's "Nearby Share" feature, which lets you transfer files at close range from one device to another. announced its UWB-based digital car key feature Volkswagen and keep up by offering extended functionality like recognition of the child seat presence and disabling the corresponding airbag, gesture control of the tail door, automatic detection, and extraction of the hitch for coupling with a trailer. the world’s largest chip manufacturer, NXP The refreshed BMW X5 and X6 will support the UWB digital key function, which can be shared with up to five more people through a native app. UWB devices can form a so-called around a certain area, used in particular to automatically unlock personal devices. A couple of videos with a demonstration of how such "bubbles" work: "security bubble" The technology can be used in a variety of . In health monitoring, a network of UWB sensors such as electrocardiogram (ECG), oxygen saturation sensor (SpO2), and electromyography (EMG) can be used to develop a proactive and smart healthcare system. WBAN applications Multimedia, augmented, and virtual reality The low latency value (5-10 ms for streaming audio when using codecs and up to 2 ms for uncompressed audio) makes UWB attractive for use in . streaming video and audio data, in VR and AR, and various types of controllers UWB devices can create which is used in . contextual experiences based on proximity and orientation smart retail and smart home systems The Apple HomePod, HomePod mini and Nest speakers from can instantly pick up music playing on a smartphone, a podcast, or an ongoing phone conversation when it approaches the speaker (Apple's "Handoff" feature). Google One good example of a smart home device is . Released in 2016 this product was unfortunately ahead of its time. The set included for defining its orientation so that the context menu of the device the remote control pointed at is called. The main disadvantage was the prohibitive price tag: $399 at the start. Sevenhugs Smart Remote X the remote controller and anchors Presence detectors with UWB can be used in . Switching on the light when motion is detected saves electricity, and the high sensitivity of UWB sensors can detect even the slightest movement of a person sitting quietly at a computer or phone and maintain lighting in the desired area. professional lighting systems of office buildings gives customers individual offers based on their journey route and preferences. Businesses can benefit from . Targeted marketing foot traffic and shopping behavior analytics Automotive Multiple cases for automotive include: : the driver can leave the car in the right place, and the car will find a place and park itself. Later, through an app on the smartphone, the driver can call the car to be served at the desired location; Driverless valet parking and pick-up ; V2X * (vehicle-to-everything communication) and autonomous driving and various convenience functions, mentioned earlier; Digital car key (a social Network for Automobiles) may significantly decrease accidents through communications between vehicles and traffic infrastructure elements. C2X communication “Follow me” and anti-collision features using UWB technology somehow surprisingly found application in Airwheel SR5 smart suitcase which frees the owner’s hands and behaves like a “good boy” following “the daddy” and avoiding obstacles. Also, UWB is a leading technology candidate for micro air vehicle (MAV) applications. Conclusion It’s fair to say that the UWB standard is poised for a bright future ahead - in addition to numerous b2b use cases, the chances are high that soon it might become one of the standard smartphone interfaces, as it happened with the likes of Bluetooth and NFC. Prediction of UWB market CAGR of 16.06% to USD 3.129 billion by 2026 made, might be doubled, if not tripled, in case if UWB becomes one of a standard interfaces - it is already popping up in flagship smartphones and might make its way to mid-range soon. as reported by “Research and Markets” in 2021 At , we’ve been closely looking at UWB developments and have participated in a number of UWB-powered projects, including typical use cases, like RTLS, as well as more rare implementations of the medium, including audio streaming. Would be happy to discuss your product needs! notAnotherOne
