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RTLS
-- What is it?
Real Time Locating
Systems are the result of a combination
of technologies and derive substantial
benefit from advances in cellular
radio technology and low radio signal
software analysis algorithms. RTLS
typically utilizes a variety of inexpensive
radio tags and a cellular reader system
to detect the presence and location
of the tags. RTLS creates a real time
database of tag locations that can
be used by diverse applications to
facilitate real time decision-making
based on real time information.
Tags are available
in several configurations ranging
from simple tags with unique identification
transmissions to tags that can store
hundreds of characters of information.
RTLS tags have also been developed
to support specialized, industrial
applications based on "pull" or Kanban
manufacturing systems. In this case,
a button is added to this type of
tag to enable a worker to trigger
the notice of a particular event,
for example, "I need more parts now,"
while also carrying the location information
for the particular delivery site.
Radio transmissions,
from the tags to the readers, utilize
spread spectrum technology. For RTLS,
spread spectrum provides many benefits,
most notably low levels of RF transmission
(for long battery life) and interference
protection (for coexistence with other
wireless systems). Operating at 2.4
Giga-hertz, RTLS are in a frequency
spectrum that is typically unlicensed
around the world facilitating deployment
of RTLS in global supply chain applications.
The systems continually
update a database with current tag
locations as frequently as every several
seconds or only every few hours for
items that seldom move. The frequency
of tag location updates may have implications
for the number of tags that can be
deployed and the life of the tag.
In typical applications however, systems
can track thousands of tags simultaneously
and the average tag life can be five
or more years.
Applications
are where it's at!
The real value of
RTLS is not the technology; but rather
the application of the technology
in real world practice. Leading companies
and organizations are rapidly adopting
RTLS to change business processes
and achieve measurable improvements
in operations. Just imagine if you
always knew where all your containers
of inventory were really located and
none of the assets that were important
to your operations ever got lost.
RTLS allows you to
know on a real time basis when something
has moved and gives you the ability
to set alarms that will notify you
if something moves when it isn't suppose
to or doesn't move when it should.
For instance, a tag on a high value
asset could be set to signal an alert
if the asset starts to move so that
it could be located and stopped before
it is removed from the facility. Or
a tag on a process control batch could
be set to create an alert if the batch
did not move to the next process within
a specified period of time.
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Related
links on RTLS Technology
 So
-- where is it?
RTLS
-- What is it?
RTLS
to improve business
Where
is it all going?
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