RePos : relative position estimation of UHF-RFID tags for item-level localization

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology brings tremendous applications in location-based services. Specifically, ultra-high frequency (UHF) RFID tag positioning based on phase (difference) of arrival (PoA/PDoA) has won great attention, due to its better positioning accuracy than signal strength-based methods. In most cases, such as logistics, retailing, and smart inventory management, the relative orders of the objects are much more attractive than absolute positions with centimetre-level accuracy. In this paper, a relative positioning (RePos) approach based on inter-tag distance and direction estimation is proposed. In the RePos positioning system, the measured phases are reconstructed based on unwrapping method. Then the distances from antenna to the tags are calculated using the distance differences of pairs of antenna's positions via a least-squares method. The relative relationships of the tags, including relative distances and angles, are obtained based on the geometry information extracted from PDoA. The experimental results show that the RePos RFID positioning system can realize about 0.28-meter ranging accuracy, and distinguish the levels and columns without ambiguity

Industrial restructuring in European Transition Economies and TNC's Investment Motivations

Using survey evidence the paper characterises TNCs' strategic positioning in central and eastern European economies in terms of the relative status of seven motives for investing and the degree of use of seven sources of technology. As a key theme the ways in which the diverse objectives and technological positioning of TNCs' operations in the transition economies can affect both the initial industrial transformation and further sustained development of such host countries is analysed. The entry of TNCs to the transition economies is found to target the supply of the local markets, using the groups' mature technologies as embodied in established products. However, the presence of various secondary motives and supporting localised technology sources demonstrates the presence of significant evolutionary processes. These may lead to individualised (exportoriented) roles of subsidiaries in transition economies using local technology and creative competences.

Positioning and Sensing System Based on Impulse Radio Ultra-Wideband Technology

Impulse Radio Ultra-Wideband (IR-UWB) is a wireless carrier communication technology using nanosecond non-sinusoidal narrow pulses to transmit data. Therefore, the IR-UWB signal has a high resolution in the time domain and is suitable for high-precision positioning or sensing systems in IIoT scenarios. This thesis designs and implements a high-precision positioning system and a contactless sensing system based on the high temporal resolution characteristics of IR-UWB technology. The feasibility of the two applications in the IIoT is evaluated, which provides a reference for human-machine-thing positioning and human-machine interaction sensing technology in large smart factories. By analyzing the commonly used positioning algorithms in IR-UWB systems, this thesis designs an IRUWB relative positioning system based on the time of flight algorithm. The system uses the IR-UWB transceiver modules to obtain the distance data and calculates the relative position between the two individuals through the proposed relative positioning algorithm. An improved algorithm is proposed to simplify the system hardware, reducing the three serial port modules used in the positioning system to one. Based on the time of flight algorithm, this thesis also implements a contactless gesture sensing system with IR-UWB. The IR-UWB signal is sparsified by downsampling, and then the feature information of the signal is obtained by level-crossing sampling. Finally, a spiking neural network is used as the recognition algorithm to classify hand gestures

Nucleosomes affect local transformation efficiency

Genetic transformation is a natural process during which foreign DNA enters a cell and integrates into the genome. Apart from its relevance for horizontal gene transfer in nature, transformation is also the cornerstone of today's recombinant gene technology. Despite its importance, relatively little is known about the factors that determine transformation efficiency. We hypothesize that differences in DNA accessibility associated with nucleosome positioning may affect local transformation efficiency. We investigated the landscape of transformation efficiency at various positions in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and correlated these measurements with nucleosome positioning. We find that transformation efficiency shows a highly significant inverse correlation with relative nucleosome density. This correlation was lost when the nucleosome pattern, but not the underlying sequence was changed. Together, our results demonstrate a novel role for nucleosomes and also allow researchers to predict transformation efficiency of a target region and select spots in the genome that are likely to yield higher transformation efficiency

Controllable emission of a dipolar source coupled with a magneto-dielectric resonant subwavelength scatterer

We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that a local excitation of a single scatterer of relative dielectric permittivity {\epsilon} = 6 permits to excite broad dipolar and quadrupolar electric and magnetic resonances that shape the emission pattern in an un- precedented way. By suitably positioning the feed with respect to the sphere at a ?=3 distance, this compact antenna is able to spectrally sort the electromagnetic emission ei- ther in the forward or in the backward direction, together with a high gain in directivity. Materials with {\epsilon} = 6 can be found in the whole spectrum of frequencies promising Mie antennas to become an enabling technology in numbers of applications, ranging from quantum single photon sources to telecommunications

Positioning and displacement patterns of young players during 5v5, 7v7, 9v9, and 11v11 soccer matches

This study aimed to analyse the effect of game format and age-group on positioning and displacement of soccer players (age ranging from 6.94 ± 0.7 to 13.46 ± 0.5 years; height ranging from 125.36 ± 6.04 to 159.16 ± 7.78 cm; weight ranging from 27.16 ± 5.75 to 49.89 ± 8.89 kg). Linear and non-linear analyses were used to capture the spatial distribution variability and relative positioning of the players during soccer matches. Variables were assessed using global positioning system technology. Results suggest significant effect of the game formats in spatial distribution variability (η2 = 0.142, p < 0.001) and relative positioning (η2 = 0.926; p < 0.001) of the players. The variability decreased and mean covered area increased as game format increased. There also was a significant effect of the age-group in spatial distribution variability (η2 = 0.120, p < 0.001) and relative positioning (η2 = 0.405; p < 0.001). The U10 age-group presented significantly higher values than other age-groups (p < 0.001). These findings can provide an opportunity for coaches and governmental bodies to maximise the efficiency of the soccer matches conditions.This study was supported by Centre for Innovation and Intervention Training in Sport of the faculty of sport of the University of Porto

Evolutionary optimization algorithms for sunlight-based positioning sensor networks

The sunlight intensity-based global positioning system (SGPS) is able to geolocate outdoor objects by means of the sunlight intensity detection. This paper presents the integration of SGPS into a sensor network in order to improve the overall accuracy using evolutionary algorithms. Another contribution of the paper is to theoretically solve both global and relative positioning of the sensors composing the network within the same framework without satellite-based GPS technology. Results show that this approach is promising and has potential to be improved further

Simultaneous Positioning and Communications: Hybrid Radio Architecture, Estimation Techniques, and Experimental Validation

abstract: Limited spectral access motivates technologies that adapt to diminishing resources and increasingly cluttered environments. A joint positioning-communications system is designed and implemented on \acf{COTS} hardware. This system enables simultaneous positioning of, and communications between, nodes in a distributed network of base-stations and unmanned aerial systems (UASs). This technology offers extreme ranging precision ($<$ 5 cm) with minimal bandwidth (10 MHz), a secure communications link to protect against cyberattacks, a small form factor that enables integration into numerous platforms, and minimal resource consumption which supports high-density networks. The positioning and communications tasks are performed simultaneously with a single, co-use waveform, which efficiently utilizes limited resources and supports higher user densities. The positioning task uses a cooperative, point-to-point synchronization protocol to estimate the relative position and orientation of all users within the network. The communications task distributes positioning information between users and secures the positioning task against cyberattacks. This high-performance system is enabled by advanced time-of-arrival estimation techniques and a modern phase-accurate distributed coherence synchronization algorithm. This technology may be installed in ground-stations, ground vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, and airborne vehicles, enabling a highly-mobile, re-configurable network with numerous applications.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 201

Precision Agriculture Research, Special Publication

Citation: Coyne, P., Casey, S., & Milliken, G. (2003). Comparison of Differentially Corrected GPS Sources for Support of Site-Specific Management in Agriculture. Kansas State University. Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service. Ag. Res. Center, Hays, Kansas.Chapter 1: Static Test. Static assessment of the relative performance of three differential correction sources for global positioning systems (GPS) available to users of precision agriculture technology in the Hays, KS area. Chapter 2: Dynamic Test. Dynamic assessment of three differential correction sources for global positioning systems (GPS) to determine suitability for precision agriculture applications in the vicinity of Hays, KS