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Noccela launches High-Performance Ranging (HPR)
Noccela has introduced High-Performance Ranging (HPR), its own UWB positioning protocol that pairs two-way ranging coverage with high tag capacity.
· Noccela
Noccela has introduced High-Performance Ranging (HPR), its own method for ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning. HPR is the result of six years of development and real-world testing since Noccela started working with UWB in 2015.
The problem HPR solves
UWB positioning systems have usually been built on one of two methods. With two-way ranging (TWR), the tag exchanges messages with each base station (UWB anchor). Each base station covers a large area, which keeps installation costs down, but the message exchange limits how many tags the system can serve.
With time difference of arrival (TDoA), the tag sends one short message and the base stations compare when it arrived. That supports many tags, but it needs denser, synchronised base stations and usually has no way to send anything back to the tag.
What HPR does
HPR is designed to give the coverage of two-way ranging together with the tag capacity of TDoA. It keeps a two-way link to every tag, which makes it possible to:
- update tag firmware over the air
- change tag settings remotely
- give the wearer feedback with light and sound
At the same accuracy, tags use less energy than with conventional two-way ranging, so batteries last longer.
How a system is built
Base stations measure the tags and send the measurements to the positioning engine. The engine calculates the positions and makes them available to other systems through an API. It runs in the cloud, or on the customer’s own premises where that is required.
The number of base stations is matched to the accuracy a site needs. An outdoor area that does not need centimetre-level positions needs fewer base stations than a precise indoor installation. Several tag types can share the same HPR network.
Who it is for
HPR is aimed at large environments in industry, healthcare, sports and security. Indutrax in Germany and NESA Solutions in the United States were among the first partners to work with it.
Today’s figures
The performance figures published at the launch in 2021 have since been replaced by one current set: accuracy up to 10 cm, coverage up to 500 m² per base station, and 1,000 active tags at 1 Hz within radio range. Base stations now also calibrate their own positions. Read more about High-Performance Ranging and automatic calibration.
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