Performance Evaluation of Three-Dimensional UWB Real-Time Locating Auto-Positioning System for Fire Rescue

Fire rescue challenges and solutions have evolved from straightfor-ward plane rescue to encompass 3D space due to the rise of high-rise city buildings.Hence,this study facilitates a system with quick and simplified on-site launching and generates real-time location data,enabling fire rescuers to arrive at the intended spot faster and correctly for effective and precise rescue.Auto-positioning with step-by-step instructions is proposed when launching the locating system,while no extra measuring instrument like Total Station(TS)is needed.Real-time location tracking is provided via a 3D space real-time locating system(RTLS)constructed using Ultra-wide Bandwidth technology(UWB),which requires electromagnetic waves to pass through concrete walls.A hybrid weighted least squares with a time difference of arrival(WLS/TDOA)positioning method is proposed to address real path-tracking issues in 3D space and to meet RTLS requirements for quick computing in real-world applications.The 3D WLS/TDOA algorithm is theoretically constructed with the Cramer-Rao lower bound(CRLB).The computing complexity is reduced to the lower bound for embedded hardware to directly compute the time differential of the arriving signals using the time-to-digital converter(TDC).The results of the experiments show that the errors are controlled when the positioning algorithm is applied in various complicated situations to fulfill the requirements of engineering applications.The statistical analysis of the data reveals that the proposed UWB RTLS auto-positioning system can track target tags with an accuracy of 0.20 m.

Partition and planning:A human-like motion decision for UAV in trap environment

This paper presents a human-like motion decision-making method for unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)navigating in trap environments.We proposed a space partitioning method based on sampling and consistency control to conduct a preliminary analysis of the indoor environment based on architectural blueprints.This method reduces the dimensionality of the path planning problem,thereby enhancing the efficiency.Then,we designed a target-switching logic for the dynamic window approach.This improvement endows the UAV with the capability of both real-time obstacle avoidance and global navigation,enhancing the efficiency of the UAV in flying to task spots indoors.Additionally,by applying human-like methods of batch distance perception and obstacle perception to this scheme,we have further enhanced the robustness and efficiency of path decisions.Finally,considering the scenario of high-rise fire rescue,we conducted simulation verification.It demonstrates that our scheme enhances the efficiency and robustness of path planning.