ITcon Vol. 27, pg. 642-661, http://www.itcon.org/2022/32

An integrated RFID–UWB method for indoor localization of materials in construction

DOI:10.36680/j.itcon.2022.032
submitted:November 2021
revised:July 2022
published:July 2022
editor(s):Kumar B
authors:Hassan Bardareh, Ph.D. student
Department of Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University, Canada
hassan.bardareh@mail.concordia.ca

Osama Moselhi, Professor
Director of the Centre for Innovation in Construction and Infrastructure Engineering and Management, Concordia University, Canada
moselhi@encs.concordia.ca
summary:A considerable body of literature exists on automated object localization and tracking of construction operations. While GPS-based solutions have been widely investigated in many studies for outdoor tracking of these operations, indoor tracking proved to be more challenging. This paper focuses on indoor material localization and investigates the use of two remote sensing technologies—ultra-wideband and radio frequency identification—and the integrated use of these technologies to leverage the benefits of each for a cost-effective and practical solution for location identification of materials on site. The developed method is based on an experimental study conducted in two phases. In the first phase, experiments are designed and performed to evaluate the accuracy of ultra-wideband for localization, as well as to determine the optimal output power for a hand-held radio frequency identification reader. The optimal power is identified by evaluating the range measurement accuracy and maximum reading range of the hand-held radio frequency identification reader. In the second phase, the integrated use of radio frequency identification device and ultra-wideband for object localization is studied, and an improved trilateration technique is developed. The results of the experiments show an absolute error of 0.52 m and 1.15 m for 2D and 3D localization, respectively. Accordingly, the integration of these two technologies eliminates the need for using a large number of radio frequency identification reference tags on site for indoor material localization. The method is expected to enhance automated material tracking on construction sites by improving the localization accuracy and providing a straightforward data acquisition protocol. The analysis of experimental data captured in a lab setting is also presented, demonstrating the advantages of the proposed method.
keywords:Radio frequency identification, Ultra-wideband, Trilateration, Range measurement, Object localization
full text: (PDF file, 1.206 MB)
citation:Bardareh H, Moselhi O (2022). An integrated RFID–UWB method for indoor localization of materials in construction, ITcon Vol. 27, pg. 642-661, https://doi.org/10.36680/j.itcon.2022.032
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