RTLS- For Indoor Asset location Tracking

Real-time Location Systems are designed to locate living or non-living things inside building premises. The smart devices industry is very experimental with the RTLS system and integrating it into various products for location tracking. Results are that RTLS is one of the most demanded systems in every construction industry. The main feature of a perfect RTLS is the accuracy of location tracking.

The accuracy of RTLS can be defined at two levels i.e., building level or room level. Therefore it is essential to have accuracy in the architecture of RTLS so that it can serve the purpose for which it is designed. 

WHAT IS RTLS TECHNOLOGY? How it is used for location tracking?

The RTLS technology can be anything that can provide the location in real-time. The exact location of any object/person can be detected by this technology.

RTLS technology includes the following:

PASSIVE RFID-based location tracking

The passive RFID technology is a tag-based location tracking system that is basically used in libraries or stores. A passive tag is placed on the object, and the system can find the object associated with that tag. A  frequency radio signal is sent by the reader. The signal transmits a massive amount of energy which is picked by the tag receiver in the form of radio waves. The antenna in the tag is woken up by the amount of energy flowing to it, which wakes up its circuit. The tag then transmits a coded message back to the reader at a different frequency. Passive RFID technology is often used for inventory tracking and RfID-based attendance system.

WiFi RTLS

The WiFi RTLS technology contains transmission tags that transmit WiFi signals. The signals are transferred to the access points distributed at different locations. It uses differential time arrival methods so that the receiver can find the tag location without delay. 

INFRARED RTLS

Infrared RTLS technology is similar to TV remote technology. There are two components, i.e., an infrared tag and an infrared reader. The Infrared reader reads the infrared tag, which is placed on an object. The infrared tag contains an infrared ID which is different for different objects. The path between the infrared reader and tag is invisible to human eyes. 

BLUETOOTH BASED ACTIVE RTLS for tracking location

The Bluetooth-based Active RTLS technology uses sensors that run on a battery. These sensors are connected to various access points distributed all around the place. Through these access points, the information is sent to the cloud. This system uses Bluetooth low-energy technology which makes it cost-efficient as well as helps in tracking objects.  The active RFID system is good  to track and report equipment that is shipped to or from your building for reporting purposes

ULTRA-WIDE BANDS RTLS

The Ultra-wide bands RTLS (UWB RTLS) technology is known to be the best of all RTLS. The tags used in this system are low-powered and small in size. These tags send ultra-wideband signals via a spark gap style transmitter. A wide range of the spectrum is transmitted when the wide band signals burst out. It can serve multiple indoor location tracking use cases – ranging from asset tracking and material flow to employee location tracking for safety reasons.

IMPORTANCE OF ACCURACY IN RTLS

The primary purpose of RTLS technology is to locate anything. However, if the object’s location is not correctly told by the system, then there is no use for RTLS. Every RTLS technology works differently; likewise, an infrared technology will react to infrared tags, but accuracy is essential in every RTLS technology. 

The level of accuracy can differ as per the application of the solution. The need for accuracy might not need to be perfect if installed in a small room, but the accuracy level will increase if the system is installed in a building. As the level of the system increases, the complexity shoots higher. 

HOW CAN THE ACCURACY of location tracking in rtls IMPROVE? 

When you hear about RTLS technology, the first thought to strike your mind will be that it can show the exact point where you are. That’s what a layman understands about RTLS technology. As a result, people found it defective or of no use if the system is not accurate. This is because people expect technology to be magical and not realistic. For making them understand, a user manual or training is needed so that they don’t overestimate the RTLS technology.

Systems like inventory management, warehouses, etc. can sustain a little inaccurate location, but in places where safety is of utmost priority, it can be dangerous. For example, if a person is stuck between floors in a building that has caught fire, the fire control department will use the building RTLS system. But if the accuracy is not correct and the location detected by the system is one floor above the right floor, then the person can lose a life.

In such cases, the designers of the RTLS architecture are required to understand the client’s requirements very thoroughly. To make the RTLS system more accurate, the algorithm used for location detection purposes needs to be more accurate and precise for every point of location. 

Therefore it can be concluded that the reliability and accuracy of RTLS systems depend upon the usage, use cases, and requirements. For every location, the RTLS installed needs to be different, and accuracy can be varied as per the application it is implemented for.

Also Read: M2M COMMUNICATION AND CONNECTED DEVICES and RTLS- FOR TRACKING INDOOR ASSETS

We at PsiBorg Technologies have a team of engineers possessing hands-on experience in working with RTLS technology. We have created numerous successful projects for location tracking and SoS devices. If you are looking for a company to help you with your RTLS, we assure you that we will deliver a reliable and accurate product.