Description

An IP67 set for outdoor and industrial applications.

The set supports Non-Inverse Architecture (NIA). See more in Architectures Comparison – mobile beacon is transmitting ultrasound and stationary beacons are receiving ultrasound.

Note, that the same HW could be also used in Inverse Architecture after uploading Inverse Architecture SW to each of the network elements (modem, stationary and mobile beacons).

The HW supports two frequency bands:

1. License-free ISM band 915 MHz for the US and countries in Region 2 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITU_Region)
2. License-free SRD 868 MHz band for the EU and other countries (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short-range_device#SRD860)

Content:

• 4 x Beacons Industrial-RX as stationary beacons
• 1 x Beacon Industrial-TX-25 with 25kHz-transducers as mobile beacon
• 1 x Modem HW v4.9-Outdoor

Use cases:

1. For 3D outdoor: one autonomous robot/drone or tracking of one forklift or another object & covered area of up to 1,000 m2
2. For 2D outdoor: one autonomous robot or tracking of one forklift or another object & covered area of up to 1,500 m2

Further expansion:

• For more area coverage by adding more stationary beacons Industrial-RX or Mini-RX-IP67
• For more mobile objects by adding more mobile beacons Industrial-TX or Super-Beacons-Outdoor

Industrial-RX and Industrial-TX have 6D IMU (3D gyroscope + 3D accelerometer) inside.

The Industrial-RX beacons – the stationary beacons of this set – differ from regular Beacons HW v4.9 in several ways:

• The Industrial-RX is an RX-only beacon, i.e. it can receive, but it cannot transmit ultrasonic signal. The fact that it is an RX-only makes it more sensitive, i.e. you will get a longer range between Beacon HW v4.9 and the Industrial-RX than between Beacon HW v4.9 and Beacon HW v4.9. Industrial-RX have the same ultrasonic performance than Mini-RX, but have additional functionalities:
  • External antenna for larger radio coverage
  • Additional external interfaces: RS485, UART. Optional – CAN
  • External power supply +12V (+6V to +15v) for permanent supply or for long-life batteries – up to 1-3 years (depending on the update rate and size of the battery)

The Industrial-TX beacon – the mobile beacon of this set – differ from regular Beacons HW v4.9 in several ways:

• The Industrial-TX is IP67-protected and rigid beacons for outdoor applications
• It is a TX-only beacon, i.e. it can transmit, but it cannot receive ultrasonic signal. Industrial-TX has about the same ultrasonic performance as Beacons HW v4.9
• It has additional functionalities:
  • Additional external interfaces: RS485, UART. Optional – CAN
  • It is >10 times more energy efficient than Beacons HW v4.9 per location update, i.e. battery lifetime of Industrial-TX beacons would be significantly longer than that of HW v4.9. It is a complex parameter and depends on several settings (location update rate, enabled sensors in HW v4.9, etc.)
  • External power supply (+5V or +12V) for permanent supply or for long-life batteries – up to 1-3 years (depending on the update rate and size of the battery)

Marvelmind Indoor Navigation System is an off-the-shelf indoor navigation system designed to provide precise (±2cm) location data to autonomous robots, vehicles (AGV), drones and forklifts. It can also be used to track other objects that the mobile beacon is installed upon, for example, virtual reality (VR) systems, helmets for construction workers or miners, jackets, etc.

The navigation system is based on stationary ultrasonic beacons that are united by radio interface in a license-free band (915/868MHz or 433MHz). The location of the mobile beacon is calculated based on the propagation delay of an ultrasonic signal (Time-Of-Flight or TOF) to a set of stationary ultrasonic beacons using trilateration.

Key requirements for the system to function properly:

• For 3D (X, Y, Z) tracking – An unobstructed line of hearing/sight by a mobile beacon to three or more stationary beacons simultaneously
• For 2D (X, Y) tracking – An unobstructed line of hearing/sight by a mobile beacon to two or more stationary beacons simultaneously
• Distance to the nearest 2 or 3 beacons – not more than 30 meters (recommended). In ideal conditions – up to 50 meters