This article is a listing of terms that are common to Ultra-Wideband technologies and systems.
| Accuracy | The degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation, or specification conforms to the correct value. |
| Anchor | A stationary UWB node whose location is surveyed and provided to the CUWB System. These devices ‘anchor’ the coordinate system within the CUWB Engine. |
| Anchor Array | A system of anchors installed on an isolated PoE network as part of the CUWB system. |
| Anchor Role | The Anchor Role defines the rate at which anchors transmit UWB packets to synchronize time. It is not recommended to change this setting. |
| Anchor Stream | UDP/IP stream configured for data exchanged between a CUWB Engine and the Anchor Array. See: User Stream, Data to Device Stream. |
| Anchor Survey | A written record of each anchor’s Serial number and measured location in three dimensional coordinate space. |
| API | Application Programming Interface |
| Asymmetric Two-Way Ranging (ATWR) | A proprietary algorithm, similar to Two-Way Ranging, used by the CUWB Engine to determine range between two devices. ATWR requires fewer packets to range between multiple devices. See: Symmetric Two-Way Ranging. |
| Beacon | A UWB transmission, or series of UWB transmissions, initiated by the tag and received by the anchor array, whose timestamps are recorded then forwarded to the CUWB Engine for determination of the tag location. See: LPS. |
| CDP | Ciholas Data Protocol. UDP/IP packet structure and definitions designed for data marshaling within a CUWB System. |
| CDP Logger | A tool for capturing CDP traffic from a CUWBNet for the purposes of post-analysis and playback. |
| CDP Player | A tool for playing back CDP logs captured using the CDP Logger. See: CDP Logger. |
| cdp-py | A python library for working with the Ciholas Data Protocol. |
| Channel | UWB Channels are defined by the IEEE802.15.4 standard. There are 16 different channels and bands available. CUWB RTLS hardware is capable of operating on Channels 5 (6.4896GHz) and 9 (7.9782GHz). |
| CSP | Ciholas Serial Protocol. Packet header and structure designed for sending CDP over serial bus connections. |
| CUWB | Ciholas Ultra-Wideband |
| CUWB Configuration | A particular collection of configurations and settings, setup through the CUWB Manager that define a CUWBNet. See: CUWBNet. |
| CUWB Engine | Binary code encompassing CUWB operations, location calculations, and scheduling for a CUWB Configuration. |
| CUWB Manager | A web-based application and user control point for management, configuration, and general operation of the CUWB RTLS. |
| CUWB Manager Package | Downloadable software that includes the CUWB Manager, CUWB Engine, and CUWB USB Driver. |
| CUWB Monitor | A tool used for monitoring and analyzing CDP traffic generated by CUWB RTLS. |
| CUWBNet | A running, or operating, collection of anchors and tags whose settings are defined by a CUWB Configuration. See: CUWB Configuration. |
| CUWB RTLS | Ciholas Ultra-Wideband Real-Time Location System |
| CUWB System | An entire UWB RTLS consisting of the anchors, tags, and software created by Ciholas. |
| CUWB USB Driver | A driver application running on the Host PC that allows tags to communicate over USB with other applications such as the CUWB Manager. |
| CUWB Viewer | A user application that captures, interprets, and displays live CUWB RTLS data. This application provides users with a live 3D representation of one or more running CUWBNets. |
| CUWB Viewer Package | Downloadable software installation package used to install the CUWB Viewer and supporting packages. |
| Data to Device Stream | UDP/IP stream configured to accept CDP data and commands from user applications bound for CUWB tags and anchors. See: Anchor Stream, User Stream. |
| Filtering | A mathematical operation on sampled data done to enhance certain aspects of the data. See: Position Filtering. |
| Host PC | A hardware, or virtual device, that is running CUWB System software packages such as: CUWB Manager, CUWB Monitor, CUWB Viewer, etc. |
| Jitter | The deviation of a signal from the ideal. In a CUWB RTLS, this might refer to position and/or timing. |
| LAN | Local Area Network |
| Line of Sight (LoS) | The condition where there is a clear, unobstructed path between a transmitting and receiving device for radio waves to travel. |
| Logger | See: CDP Logger |
| LPS | Locates Per Second. This is a system capacity metric that indicates the total number of location output measurements done in a one second period. See: Beacon. |
| MultiRangeTM | A CUWBNet mode of operation that utilizes ranging beacons to determine the distance between a tag and multiple anchors. Ranging beacon data is forwarded to the CUWB Engine where the data is used to compute tag location. See: Ranging Beacon. |
| MultiTimeTM | A CUWBNet mode of operation that utilizes timing beacons between tags and the anchor array. Timing beacon data is forwarded to the CUWB Engine where the data is used to compute tag location. See: Timing Beacon. |
| Node | Colloquial term for UWB devices participating in a CUWB System, often preceded by tag or anchor, e.g., tag node. |
| OTA | Over-the-Air |
| Player | See: CDP Player. |
| PoE | Power over Ethernet |
| Position Filtering | A mathematical operation done on CUWB Engine location output data to enhance output precision. |
| Preamble Code | Preamble Codes, defined by IEEE802.15.4, are a characteristic of UWB packets that are used in packet detection and correlation. The preamble codes available in CUWB RTLS hardware were chosen to have low cross correlation with each other. |
| Precision | The degree to which the result of a set of measurements, or outputs, conform to each other. |
| PRF | Pulse Repetition Frequency. This is a UWB transmission parameter defined by IEEE802.15.4. CUWB RTLS hardware utilizes PRF values of 16MHz and 64MHz. |
| Ranging Beacon | A particular sequence of tag transmissions and anchor responses whose timestamps can be utilized to determine the distance, or range, between devices. CUWB Systems use a proprietary Asynchronous Two-Way Ranging algorithm. |
| RF | Radio Frequency |
| Role | Role assignments are made through the CUWB Manager and serve to define specific device timings, repeat rates, and parameters within the particular CUWBNet. |
| RSSI | Received Signal Strength Indication |
| RTLS | Real-Time Location System |
| Smoothing | A mathematical operation done to CUWB Engine location data to soften outliers. |
| Spatial Reuse | The ability for two devices to transmit over UWB at the same time based on their location in space. |
| Survey | The act of measuring locations of the static anchors in the CUWB RTLS. An accurate survey is essential to CUWB performance. |
| Symmetric Two-Way Ranging (STWR) | A well known algorithm, often called simply “Two-Way Ranging”, that defines a series of timestamped transmissions whose values are run through an algorithm to determine range between two devices. See: Asymmetric Two-Way Ranging. |
| Synchronization | In a CUWB RTLS, synchronization refers to the time synchronization required between anchors in a CUWBNet configured for MultiTime. The process of ‘synchronizing’ the anchors is handled by the CUWB Engine. |
| System Key | A string based setting for features not defined in the CUWB Manager UI. |
| Tag | A tag is a mobile, trackable node in an RTLS Configuration. Tags are generally attached to objects that users wish to track within an environment. |
| Tag Role | Tag Roles, configured in the CUWB Manager, are collections of settings defined and named by the user. They determine a tag’s beacon rate and several other parameters. Tag role assignment can be changed at any time, even when a CUWBNet is active. |
| Tick | A tick is a unit used in the CUWB scheduling system. T = 975000 / H, where T is the period in Ticks and H is the repeat rate in Hz. |
| Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) | The mathematical difference between two arrival timestamps done in the same time domain. |
| Time of Arrival (ToA) | The recorded arrival time of a UWB signal or packet at a node. |
| Timing Beacon | A known transmission sent from a tag with the intention of locating said tag based on ToA recorded at known anchor locations. |
| Two-Way Ranging | See: Symmetric Two-Way Ranging. |
| UDP/IP | User Datagram Protocol / Internet Protocol |
| Ultra-Wideband (UWB) | Ultra-Wideband is a radio technology that uses fast, low-energy transmissions for short-range, high-bandwidth communication. UWB Transmissions can be precisely timed making them ideal for RTLS systems. |
| User Stream | UDP/IP stream configured for CDP data output from the CUWB Engine. This CDP stream contains the primary RTLS outputs such as: position, distance, and other status information. |
| Wildcard | A special character used in the serial number field to match an unknown digit in the serial number. |