The calculations provided below are intended to provide a rough estimate of the number of Anchors and associated mounting hardware necessary for an installation. The estimates are not intended to replace careful planning and system design.
Information regarding tracking area setup and best practices can be found in Deployment Considerations and Component Placement Guide.
Anchor spacing and placement is one of the most difficult aspects of any installation. The number of anchors needed to effectively cover an area is dependent on a variety of factors. The calculators below boil those dependencies down to a small number of variables and should provide a starting point estimate. The estimator starts with a nominal anchor density based on the area size, then increases or decreases the anchor count based on environmental information.
The calculators below are accompanied by a brief descriptions of each question asked by the calculator.
| Size of the tracking Area? | |
| What best describes the tracking area? | |
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| Estimated Anchor Count |
Enter the size of the intended tracking area in square meters or square feet. This entry will serve as the base for the total number of anchors.
Small and medium areas have a minimum recommended 6 or 8 anchors respectively. Additional anchors are added based on the following rough guidelines:
Larger spaces are generally more open and allow for larger spacing of anchors in order to cover the same area.
The environment where tags are being tracked is a large driver of the overall anchor density. Wide open spaces where all of the anchors are visible require fewer anchors to achieve the same level of performance. This variable has been boiled down to essentially two variables for the purposes of the calculator:
An “open” space in this context is an area where a user can look from the viewpoint of a tag and see a large number of the installed anchors. The space is open in the sense the the UWB signals can travel between the tag and anchor without materials between them. A warehouse is an example of an open space. An office space (non-cubicle) is an example of a non-open space with walls between the tags and anchor array.
Similar to the open area question above, this part of the question attempts to determine if the space itself has a lot of material. For example, a warehouse is an open space, but it might have a lot of racking where material is stored. The material in the racks, assuming it is not transparent to UWB signals, represents breaks in the line-of-sight between the anchors and the tags.
The output of the above calculator should be adjusted based on your desired level of precision. Systems that need extremely precise location will require more anchors, where systems that need room level accuracy can be adjust down.
Most applications are heavily geared toward location in the XY plane and thus can handle more error in the Z (or vertical) axis. Some applications require vertical axis precision; for example, a user tracking which shelf an asset is placed on would need accuracy in the vertical dimension. To achieve z-axis accuracy it is necessary to install anchors with z-axis diversity which increases the overall count needed in a system.
The environment question above assumes a uniform space, where users may have office space mixed with warehousing. In these situation users the estimator will likely not provide a reasonable anchor count. These users should carefully plan for their deployment and follow the guidance given in Deployment Considerations and Component Placement Guide.
To increase reliability and precision it is always beneficial to include more anchors in critical areas. The CUWB Location Engine uses all available anchors to determine XYZ output location. Anchors are weighted based on the UWB signal strength quality of the received tag beacon. Thus, when LoS between the tag and an anchor is occluded, it is de-weighted in the algorithm. Having more anchors in the output solution makes up for periodic occlusions due to environmental factors like body movement.
| What best describes the anchor installation? | |
| Will the installation be in a dusty or dirty space? | |
| Will the anchors be exposed to water? | |
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Recommended Articulating Brackets AB301 |
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Recommended Pipe Clamps AB302 |
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Recommended Truss Clamps AB303 |
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Recommended Flush Mounts AH301 |
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Recommended Box Mounts AH302 |
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Recommended Sealing Kits AH303 |
The total counts in this table are taken from the output of the Anchors calculator above. Enter appropriate settings in the anchor calculator prior to using this Mounting Selection calculator.
There are a wide variety of ways to mount anchors, users should read the Component Placement Guide for guidance. The answers to this question help to determine the type of anchor mount needed for some of the common use cases and isn’t intended for all installations.
In dusty and dirty environments it is recommended that users install anchors using an anchor mounting box AH302. The AH302 is intended to provide a closed mounting solution preventing dust and dirt intrusion while provide enough area for cable service loops.
If the installation is expected to operate in wet or humid conditions, it is recommended that users install anchors with an AH302 sealed with the AH303 sealing kit.