Wireless Technology devices are interoperable. Figure 3: TWR positioning example


low power, enabling it to co-exist with popular technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. UWB’s signaling characteristics make it resilient to factors that reduce the effectiveness of narrow-band technologies. Its large bandwidths reduce the effects of frequency-selective fading, and the short durations of its ranging pulses help to resolve the multipath signal components, which can be present in indoor applications. A critical extension to the physical layer, (PHY), specified in IEEE 802.15.4z, enables UWB, when combined with external security elements, to offer enhanced security levels over other wireless technologies. This extension introduces the STS field into the data packet, which uses cryptography and random number generation to deter attacks on the UWB communications.


Sample UWB use cases


UWB is highly accurate in both Line-of-Site (LoS) and non-Line-of-Sight (nLoS) scenarios and works well in the presence of obstacles such as walls and people, which would potentially block or interfere with RF signals. This combination of accuracy, immunity to noise and reflection, along with its support for enhanced security features, make UWB an excellent choice for measuring distance and location in a wide variety of use cases.


Secure hands-free access UWB-enabled systems can detect when a


person is approaching a locked door and whether that person is inside or outside the doorway. In its basic form, UWB will only provide the positioning information, but it can be combined with other technologies to deliver a system where the user is automatically granted access without having to present a card, enter a PIN or take any other action. Figure 4 shows how a system combining Bluetooth Low Energy, (BLE), and a UWB device can deliver a seamless, secure, hands- free entry experience to a user. Since the power consumption of a UWB receiver can be quite high when it is active, a BLE receiver is used for discovery and channel establishment, minimising the receive time of the UWB device. The BLE receiver regularly acquires ranging information from the UWB device and uses it to establish proof of presence and intent. If the relevant criteria are met, an access credential is released to the UWB controller and access is either granted or denied.


Smart building and industrial applications


UWB technology extends GNSS-style positioning functionality to indoor environments, such as factories, warehouses, offices, classrooms, and hospital wards. In the smart factory or warehouse, TDoA anchors coupled with real-time location systems (RTLS) can track transmitting tags attached to both workers and physical assets such as production equipment, vehicles, and


spares. The information gathered by these systems enables improved productivity by supporting systems such as asset management and workflow optimisation. RTLS anchors can also be deployed in hospitals to track staff and patients and also to identify the physical locations of equipment that may be urgently required in emergency situations.


Other smart building applications for UWB include support for social distancing measures and automatic head-counting during building evacuations.


A variety of UWB industry standards are emerging


As UWB is adopted across different industrial sectors, a number of industry-specific standards are being developed, building on the IEEE-defined protocol layers.


Manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung are increasingly integrating UWB into their latest smartphone models, enabling them to support use cases such as wireless entry to cars and homes along with tracking of lost devices, mobile payments and many more. For smartphone applications such as these, interoperability is critical, and the FiRa Consortium has been formed to address this requirement, creating an eco-system of industry stakeholders to develop approaches including a certification scheme. By integrating a FiRa-compliant solution, mobile handset manufacturers can ensure that their


In the industrial sector, the Omlox Consortium, comprising over 60 companies, has driven the development of a set of open standards for factory-specific RTLS. The Omlox standards are split into the Omlox core and the Omlox hub, where the core provides standardized interfaces for the retrieval of information from multiple localization techniques, including UWB, RFID, 5G, BLE, Wi-Fi, and GPS. The Omlox hub specifies standardized interactions for UWB-based RTLS systems and, together, the Omlox standards enable products from different manufacturers to be networked together into a core zone. The different locating technologies can be easily interconnected, with the Omlox interfaces guaranteeing interoperability. Likewise, in the automobile industry, the membership of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) includes car manufacturers, automotive suppliers, phone manufacturers, semiconductor suppliers, and app developers. The CCC has developed the Digital Key 3.0 standard, covering highly secure hands-free, location-aware keyless access and location-aware features, specifically for cars, and based on UWB.


UWB development support As the popularity of UWB continues to grow, an ecosystem of partners is emerging to offer both hardware and software support to developers of UWB applications. Global semiconductor giant NXP is at the forefront of chip development for UWB, offering a range of devices under the Trimension product family, supporting the development of anchor devices and tags for a range of applications including embedded IoT devices, automotive and mobile phone applications. NXP has partnered with organisations such as Amotech and Murata, providers of hardware modules, and MobileKnowledge, who specialise in software development support with a focus on UWB applications related to mobile phones. Modules such as the ASMOP1BO0N1 integrate NXP UWB chipsets with the RF circuitry, power management and timing functionality to be used in UWB applications.


UWB is rapidly being adopted for positioning and tracking applications across a number of sectors and, as this market continues to experience strong growth, speed to market is vital. A global specialist in semiconductor distribution, EBV Elektronik can provide both the products and the in-depth application support and value-added services that our customers need when embarking on new UWB projects.


Figure 4: Secure hands-free entry www.ebv.com www.cieonline.co.uk Components in Electronics www.ebv.com July/August 2022 33


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