SBIR Phase I: Software-Defined Locator-Receiver for NFER Systems

SBIR 第一阶段：NFER 系统的软件定义定位器接收器

• 批准号: 1013303
• 负责人: Hans Schantz
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Q-Track Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2011-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1013303&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Software; Defined; Locator

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to implement a software-defined radio digital receiver design for use in Real-Time Locating Systems (RTLS) employing Near Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER) technology. NFER RTLS has demonstrated industry leading wireless location of individual tracking tags. The proposed effort will drastically increase the capacity of NFER RTLS from 20-50 tag reads per second to a thousand or more. RTLS's comprise an important and rapidly growing segment within the radio frequency identification (RFID) industry. Incumbent RTLS vendors use high frequency, microwave RF systems originally optimized for communications, not location. But communications and location are two different problems requiring fundamentally different answers. NFER technology was designed with location in mind. Using low frequency (~1MHz), long wavelength (~300m) signals, typically around 1MHz, NFER systems are more penetrating, longer range, more multipath resistant, and more robust than competing products. Already a relatively simple and low-cost method for RTLS in complicated indoor environments, the proposed research aims to dramatically increase the capacity of NFER RTLS systems by implementing a software-defined radio digital receiver design. The proposed effort also has the potential to significantly reduce the cost and increase the capacity of NFER Locator-Receivers.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is substantial. The Global Positioning System (GPS) enabled a multi-billion industry by making location information ubiquitous for outdoor users. Most of us, however, spend our time indoors where GPS is unavailable. An RTLS technology that can unlock the "indoor GPS" market would likely represent a market opportunity at least as significant as the overall GPS industry. In addition to this substantial commercial opportunity, location awareness has a broad societal impact. Approximately 100 firefighters die in the line of duty each year. A system that can locate and track firefighters could save some of these lives. Every year, workers die in hazardous environments, like mines and chemical plants because rescuers are unable to locate them. Similarly, about 10% of American casualties in combat are caused by "friendly" fire. A system that can provide situational awareness to warfighters, particularly in urban combat, could prevent some of these casualties. The proposed high capacity digital receiver would also have significant utility as the basis of a robust communication system. There is considerable interest in near-field magnetic communication systems in support of tactical communications in urban environment or in support of communication in mines and underground.

该小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目旨在实施软件定义的无线电数字接收器设计，用于采用近场电磁测距(NFER)技术的实时定位系统(RTLS)。NFER RTLS已经展示了行业领先的个人跟踪标签无线定位。拟议的努力将大幅提高NFER RTL的容量，从每秒20-50次标签读取增加到1000次或更多。RTL在射频识别(RFID)行业中构成了一个重要且快速增长的细分市场。现有的RTLS供应商使用最初针对通信而不是位置进行优化的高频微波RF系统。但通信和定位是两个不同的问题，需要完全不同的答案。NFER技术在设计时考虑到了位置。NFER系统使用低频(~1 MHz)、长波(~300m)信号，通常在1 MHz左右，与竞争产品相比，NFER系统具有更强的穿透力、更远的射程、更强的抗多径能力和更强的健壮性。在复杂的室内环境中，RTLS已经是一种相对简单和低成本的方法，所提出的研究旨在通过实现软件定义的无线电数字接收机设计来显著提高NFER RTLS系统的容量。拟议的工作还有可能显著降低NFER定位器-接收器的成本和增加其容量。这一项目的广泛影响/商业潜力是巨大的。全球定位系统(GPS)使户外用户的位置信息无处不在，从而促成了一个数十亿美元的行业。然而，我们中的大多数人都呆在没有GPS的室内。能够打开“室内GPS”市场的RTLS技术很可能代表着一个至少与整个GPS行业一样重要的市场机会。除了这一巨大的商业机会外，位置感知还具有广泛的社会影响。每年大约有100名消防员因公殉职。一个可以定位和跟踪消防员的系统可以拯救其中一些人的生命。每年，由于救援人员无法找到他们，工人们死于矿山和化工厂等危险环境中。同样，美国在战斗中的伤亡中约有10%是由“友军”火力造成的。一个能够为作战人员提供态势感知的系统，特别是在城市战斗中，可以防止一些此类伤亡。拟议的大容量数字接收器也将作为健壮的通信系统的基础具有重要的实用价值。近场磁通信系统在支持城市环境中的战术通信或支持矿井和井下的通信方面有相当大的兴趣。