As an Bluetooth BLE AoA positioning provider, Dusun IoT uses the BLE Angle of Arrival (AoA) positioning algorithm to reach the unique direction of the incoming wave and position of the tag, which improves the 5-meter accuracy of traditional low-precision Bluetooth by ten times and reaches 0.1-0.5 meter average accuracy. Our BLE AoA positioning solution supports Bluetooth 5.1 and is backward compatible with all Bluetooth 4.0 tags.
The AoA locator collects data from BLE AoA beacons that transmit Bluetooth signals containing specific information, and then employs its integrated receiving antenna array to determine the direction of the signal. Meanwhile, the AoA locator can locate itself using triangulation technology and upload the data to the Position Engine.
Position Engine uses specialized algorithms and mathematical models to calculate location data and visualize it through maps and other applications, thereby providing users with precise location services.
A single AoA locator calculates and obtains the actual heading angle/pitch angle of the tag, and obtains a unique ray. According to the determined tag height, the AoA locator can calculate and obtain a unique spatial absolute coordinate.
The strap-down combination of AoA locators obtains a larger positioning coverage space, and multiple anchor course angel calculations improve the global spatial accuracy level.
In the indoor positioning field , BLE AoA, Bluetooth RSSI, and UWB are widely used technologies in the market. The comparison of them is also topics that people in this industry like to talk about. Both AoA Locator and Bluetooth beacon gateway using RSSI are a kind of Bluetooth gateway.
In terms of accuracy, UWB can achieve an accuracy of 0.1-0.3 meters, which is the best. Bluetooth Angle of Arrival is slightly inferior to UWB, but their accuracy gap is not that large, and it can achieve more than ten times the accuracy of traditional RSSI. Moreover, in terms of power consumption, BLE AoA performs better, and its battery life can reach several years. As to product eco system, BLE AoA is also much more richer. When speaking of the total cost, BLE AoA is obviously the best.
Moreover, BLE AoA positioning enjoys vast market prospects, like in supermarkets, nursing homes, factories, high-speed rail stations, airports, public security and justice, and so on.
| Bluetooth AOA | Bluetooth RSSI | UWB | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protocol | BT 5.1 | BT4.0+ | UWB |
| Typical accuracy | 0.1-0.5m | 5-10m | 0.1-0.3m |
| Refresh rate | High | Low | Medium |
| Compatibility | Various tags such as mobile phones, bracelets, watches, beacon, etc | Additional special tags for return channels such as LoRa are required | UWB Tag |
| Tag power consumption | Low | High | High |
| Anchor cost | General | Low | High |
| Tag cost | Low | High | High |
| Downlink broadcast capability | Yes | Yes | No |
| IoT anchor capabilities | Yes | No | No |
All-in-one package including a smart hub with built-in position engine and local RTLS software that can be permanently used, two AoA Locators, two BLE tracking tags, as well as a range of installation accessories including a laser distance meter.
0.1~0.5m accuracy for all BLE devices
High tag density for large projects
BLE tag battery life up to 5 years
Cost-effective thanks to Bluetooth eco-system
Minimal tag size smaller than a coin
Compatible with billions of various bletermlnals
When BLE AoA TAG is moving, the packet frequency is different than when it is stationary. while when it is stationary, the situation is the opposite. When in a stationary position, the TAG packet sending frequency of BLE AoA corresponds to a broadcast interval of 100 milliseconds. The TAG packet frequency of BLE AoA, when the vehicle is in motion, has a broadcast interval of 2 seconds .
Yes, Dusun IoT supports for customers’ selection of the broadcast frequency before the TAG is shipped from the factory to the end user. Customers have options to choose from based on their specific requirements.
A BLE positioning system requires a minimum of two AoA locators and has no limit on the number of AoA Tags it can use.
The recommended installation distance is 1.5 times the installation height.
The optimal installation height is 3-10m between the AOA Tag and locator
The area covered by a single Bluetooth AoA locator is approximately the shape of a circle, and the height difference between the AoA locator and the AoA TAG should be equal to two times that difference.
The delay caused by data transmission via Bluetooth and data transmission via the network will need to be factored into the acquisition of positioning data.
At a minimum of 2 meters’ distance should separate the AoA locator from adjacent walls and columns.
Yes, it’s okay. Customers can acquire platform-side BLE positioning engine services by going through our partner like Navigine.
Yes. The RTL library developed by Silicon Labs can be utilized even if the customer is responsible for calculating the AoA value based on the underlying interface. Also, customers have access to the code located in the source code of our software development kit (SDK).
Dusun IoT uses the most recent version of the Bluetooth protocol stack, which is version 5.3, and it supports the most recent version of the BLE AoA positioning technology. The accuracy of the technology can be improved to sub-meter levels, and the level of accuracy that can be achieved in practice. Under ideal conditions, Our BLE AoA positioning solution can reach 0.3 meters .
AoD (Angle of Departure) requires each terminal TAG to install an array antenna, while the Bluetooth Angle of Arrival only requires the AoA locator to install an array antenna. Therefore, the relative cost will be lower.
It can be only specified when manufacturing. But 1000ms frequency will have considerable negative impact on the accuracy.
All BLE AoA positioning hardware devices have open API interfaces, which can be connected to customers’ private and shared platforms.
| Equipment name | Device model | Device interface document |
| Gateway | DSGW-200 | |
| Beacon | DSBC-230/ DSBC-062 | AOA 2Mqtt V1.0 |
