An Ultra-wideband Battery-less Positioning System for Space Applications

TL;DR

This paper introduces a battery-less, ultra-wideband positioning system designed for space applications, capable of precise, centimeter-level localization of multiple objects inside space stations using wireless power transfer and UWB technology.

Contribution

It presents a novel, battery-less UWB positioning system that combines wireless power transfer and energy-efficient tags for accurate indoor space environment tracking.

Findings

Achieves centimeter-level localization accuracy at over 10 meters

Supports multiple tags with a 2W-ERP UHF power source

Demonstrated on ESA Mars Rover prototype

Abstract

An ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) remote-powered positioning system for potential use in tracking floating objects inside space stations is presented. It makes use of battery-less tags that are powered-up and addressed through wireless power transfer in the UHF band and embed an energy efficient pulse generator in the 3-5 GHz UWB band. The system has been mounted on the ESA Mars Rover prototype to demonstrate its functionality and performance. Experimental results show the feasibility of centimeter-level localization accuracy at distances larger than 10 meters, with the capability of determining the position of multiple tags using a 2W-ERP power source in the UHF RFID frequency band.