LocateBLE is the optimal tradeoff between cost and performance, for real-time estimate of presence and position of people and assets in operating environments.
Fixed Bluetooth LE locators use smart antennas that reduce multipath effects, allowing for a more stable RSSI (Received Signal Strenght Indicator) computation. A positioning engine, based on trilateration algorithms, provide reliable estimate of Bluetooth LE tag position with accuracy of a few meters.
LocateBLE is compatible with all BLE devices with iBeacon advertising packets.
Architecture
• Fixed locators. Fixed locators are installed at known positions inside the environment
where localization is required.
• Position of the locators. Locators are installed on the ceiling or on walls for indoor systems, on poles for outdoor systems.
• Density of locators. Density of locators depends on the required accuracy in a certain zone: a
rule-of-thumb is to use inter-antenna distance 3-to-5 times the required accuracy.
• Position calculation. Each locator receives the signal from Bluetooth LE tags, and computes RSSI.
• Wiring. Locators are connected through LAN/WLAN to a local server where the Zone Positioning Engine (ZPE) is installed. ZPE
integrates advanced algorithms based on trilateration, that allows to compute tag position from RSSI information from each locator. Also, an
estimate of the error is provided. Thus the tag location is
actually a circular area centered on the estimated position.
ZPE provides REST APIs in standard JSON format, that allows to get tag(s) position in real time.
Main features
• Location accuracy. Typical positioning accuracy around 3 m. Accuracy demands can vary from one area to another and can be controlled by altering the number (density) of antennas (accuracy tipically
ranges from 1/4 to 1/3 of antenna inter-distance).
• Refresh rate. Location update rate of up to 1 sec and latency up to 1+ sec. Update rate and latency are excellent for all use cases where (position-time) information is required (e.g. tracking of
assets, access control, room presence control, ...).
• Integration with third-party systems. LocateBLE is easy to integrate into existing systems with APIs in JSON format.
• Fixed wired antennas. Wired anchors available in several options: LAN for data communication, 5Vdc for power; WLAN for data communication, 5Vdc for power; PoE LAN for both power and data communication.
• Battery Tag Bluetooth LE. Long battery-lifetime tags: power consumption of the Bluetooth LE tags are optimized for low energy consumption.
LocateBLE components
Tags
Locators
