RCM
RANGING AND
COMMUNICATIONS MODULE
Time Domain’s P410 RCM combines UWB wireless
communications and ranging in a 3” x 3” custom
silicon form factor.
Time Domain’s PulsON 410 (P410) Ultra Wideband
(UWB) platform with embedded Ranging and
Communications Module (RCM) software is the
first miniature UWB module that packs low cost,
low power, and advanced real-time ranging and
communication capabilities into a 3 inch x 3 inch
footprint. The module’s innovative design overcomes
the limitations of GPS technologies, which cannot
operate effectively inside or around buildings or
heavy foliage, and video cameras, which can be easily
blocked and are affected by weather and darkness.
ALSO SUPPORTS RADAR
FEATURES
• Accurate ranging measurement and/or determination of position
• Two distance measurement techniques supported:
o Two-Way Time-of-Flight (TW-TOF)
With additional software, the P410 can also be
configured as a monostatic, bistatic, and multistatic
radar. This addresses applications that require
simultaneous radar sensing, ranging / localization,
and communications.
o Coarse Range Estimation (CRE)
• TW-TOF provided with estimate of measurement accuracy
PARTNER READY FOR OEMS AND INTEGRATORS
• Integratable with supplemental technologies (e.g., GPS, Inertial)
Time Domain is now shipping the P410 RCM to
integrators like you. We are excited about helping you
create new UWB-enabled products and applications.
Contact us today and let’s get started!
• High precision in high multi-path environments
• Fused wireless communication
• Operable in all weather and lighting conditions
• Fixed wired infrastructure not required
• Cost effective, easy to use and integrate
• Additional software allows operation as radar
APPLICATIONS
• Personnel safety and situational awareness around
large vehicles
• Dynamic truthing test systems
• Automated person and vehicle convoy following
• Indoor robot navigation and mapping
• Auto-survey of distributed sensors and localization systems
Dismounted soldiers wearing UWB mobile nodes shown being followed by an autonomous
vehicle outfitted with UWB coordinate nodes.
320-0284C
HIGH-SPEED TRACKING IN ENVIRONMENTS
WHERE GPS DOESN’T WORK
To operate safely in relation to other vehicles and people,
autonomous vehicles must be located precisely and continuously over long ranges. While GPS works in open, uncluttered environments, Time Domain’s P410 RCM provides
precise and relative ranging accuracy of unmanned ground
systems, people, and other vehicles in highly challenging,
densely populated and forested areas. The P410 RCM’s
UWB signal can penetrate most obstructions, allowing it to
work well in indoor environments.
Time Domain’s next generation UWB technology combines fast,
pulsed radio frequency (RF) time-of-flight ranging and covert
communication in a single chipset. The P410 RCM makes it easy
for system integrators to conduct accurate high-speed tracking of
vehicles and personnel in applications where GPS does not work.
PRECISION RANGE MEASUREMENT
The P410 RCM uses two different techniques to measure the
distance between devices. Two-Way Time-of-Flight (TW-TOF)
offers high accuracy measurements as well as an estimate of the
accuracy of each TW-TOF measurement. Such estimates can be
used by a Kalman filter to more accurately report location. With
TW-TOF, a P410 RCM sends a range request to another P410
RCM, which acknowledges the request with a range response.
The initiating P410 RCM uses the response information to
calculate the intervening distance with an accuracy of 2 cm. In
Clear Line of Sight conditions, the P410 RCM also provides a
Coarse Range Estimate (CRE) of the range. This measure is
based on the signal strength of the first arriving energy and is
periodically recalibrated with TW-TOF measurements. While not
as accurate as TW-TOF, CRE measurements can be used to
increase system capacity by up to a factor of 7.
Configuration
HOST
(PC or microprocessor)
Range & Data Request
Range Measurement
Data Received
The P410 RCM provides a simple, easy to use interface, which enables users to develop their
own localization and communication network.
SPECIFICATIONS
DIMENSIONS
POWER REQUIREMENTS
76 mm x 80 mm x 16 mm
5.75 - 30 V @ 4.2 Watts max
RANGING TECHNIQUE
5 sleep modes with <3ms enter/
exit time
Pulsed-RF Ultra Wideband
(UWB)
Two-Way Time-of-Flight (TWTOF)
Coarse Range Estimation
CLOS Accuracy (bias): 2.1 cm
ANTENNA
Broadspec™ Toroidal Dipole
Standard SMA coaxial connector
NLOS Combined Accuracy &
Precision: 10 cm
INTERFACING OPTIONS
CLOS – Clear Line of Sight
NLOS – Non- Line of Sight
USB 2.0 Client (Micro B), Serial
Application Programming
Interface
SUPPORT
OPERATING RANGE
0.1 m to 354 m
Vista 32, Vista 64, Win7 32,
Win7 64
-10° to 60°C
Graphical User Interface allows
MAX DISTANCE @
RANGING INTERVAL
»» Performance demonstration
»» Live display and logging of
raw data
35 m @ 6.5 ms
60 m @ 8.5 ms
Sample C code
88 m @ 12.5 ms
Sample MATLAB code
125 m @ 20 ms
SPECTRUM
TARGETED RANGING WITH COMMUNICATIONS
PART NUMBERS
The user interacts with the P410 RCM through USB or Serial
interfaces. During configuration the user can select node ID, pulse
integration (which determines distance and range update rate),
antenna port (A or B), and 7 code channels. These values can be
stored in non-volatile memory until reconfiguration by the user.
CHANNELIZATION
CLOS Precision (st dev): 2.3 cm
Unlike ultrasonic or laser-based ranging techniques, UWB
pulses can travel through walls and dense foliage. Also, unlike
conventional narrow-band RF, these pulses do not suffer from
errant multi-path reflections – the most direct path through the
environment is measured.
INTERFACING AND CONFIGURATION OPTIONS
Lowest sleep mode 1.1 Watts
min
7 user-selectable pseudo-random
pulse interval channels
TW-TOF RANGE
PERFORMANCE
177 m @ 36 ms
Each P410 RCM is configured with a unique UWB node ID in
non-volatile memory. The RCM will automatically respond to any
range requests it receives from other RCMs. If desired, the RCM
can operate as a respond-only device without a host connection.
The RCM reports all data overheard in range requests, range responses, or data-only packets to its host (a PC or microprocessor).
P410
RCM
FCC 15B (-14.5 dBm)
Adjustable
250 m @ 67 ms
Bandwidth UWB 3.1 GHz to 5.3 GHz
354 m @ 132 ms
Center Frequency 4.3 GHz
410RC01 - P410 RCM Development Kit (4 Nodes)
Optional Accessories
110RC01 - P410 RCM
310EN01 - P410 Enclosure
100ANR1 - Broadspec Antenna (incl. with Kit)
300RB01 - P410 Rechargeable
Battery
200SWR1 - RCM Software (incl. with Kit)
300PS01 - P410 Power Supply (incl. with Kit)
300BC01 - P410 Battery
Charger
Users interested in developing systems with multiple P410 devices should also consider
evaluating the PulsON Lab (8 modules) or PulsON MegaLab (20 modules).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Cummings Research Park
4955 Corporate Dr., Ste 101
Huntsville, Alabama 35805
1.256.922.9229 phone
1.256.922.0387 fax
www.timedomain.com