Mobile Zone Extension

The Mobile Zone Extension (MZE) of the DeepHub® allows for the seamless integration of proximity-based positioning solutions that change their position. The MZE changes the position of your proximity zone by connecting the zone with location updates from a real-time locating system - via an omlox location provider or an omlox trackable.

Consider a scenario where you have parcels equipped with RFID tags, and you want to keep track of where they are located in your warehouse. The RFID tags do not provide exact location information. However, the DeepHub allows you to combine multiple technologies, such as an UWB positioning system and an RFID proximity system, and thereby add location information.

A forklift, equipped with an RFID scanner and an UWB tag, is used to transport the parcels. The UWB tag provides the exact real-time location of the forklift, while the RFID scanner provides additional information about the parcels the forklift is carrying. The RFID scanner will receive proximity information as long as the forklift carries parcels with RFID tags attached to them.

Normally, the position of a proximity-based zone has to be updated manually, because it cannot generate location information on its own. However, with the DeepHub MZE, you can keep track of the position where parcels were dropped off by matching the location information of the forklift with the last-received proximity information of the parcels.

The DeepHub MZE makes this task as simple as possible.

Setup and Configuration

Setting up the MZE is done in two steps. First, a zone needs to be created representing each available proximity positioning system (e.g. RFID scanner). Next, an omlox trackable (e.g. representing a forklift) or an omlox location provider (e.g. an UWB tag) needs to be assigned to the zone in order to enable the MZE. By linking the trackable or location provider with the zone of the installed proximity system, the position of the proximity system will be updated in real-time as the trackable or location provider relocates.

Setting up a Proximity Zone in the DeepHub:

You may create a zone through the DeepHub API or the Admin UI. To do so in the UI:

• Open the Admin UI in your browser.
• Create a new zone by selecting an appropriate technology type (rfid or ibeacon) and floor level. You do not need to choose an exact position on the map, as the position will be updated automatically. Simply choose a nearby location.
• Set a unique Foreign ID, for example "forklift-123-rfid".
• Click Save to create the zone.

In order to enable the MZE for this zone, you must assign a location provider or trackable to the zone by adding a location provider or trackable to the zone’s custom properties. The member variables available for the zone properties are the following:

• "com.hdm.hub.zone.autozoneupdate.trackables": A list containing IDs of trackables. The zone's position is updated whenever a trackable's location is updated.
• "com.hdm.hub.zone.autozoneupdate.providers": A list containing IDs of location providers. The zone's position is updated whenever a location provider's location is updated.

An example zone with location providers and trackables configured for auto position updating of the zone:

{
  "id": "ffffffff-bce8-6c23-e342-80bd5c938775",
  "foreign_id": "rfid-provider-autozone",
  "type": "rfid",
  "floor": 4,
  "need_transformation": true,
  "name": "Zone R (RFID)",
  "address": "",
  "position": {
    "type": "Point",
    "coordinates": [0, 0]
  },
  "radius": 2.0,
  "properties": {
    "com.hdm.hub.zone.autozoneupdate.providers": ["autozone-provider-123"],
    "com.hdm.hub.zone.autozoneupdate.trackables": [
      "5EE9265B-EFDF-4EDB-98AD-9D01E11B687F"
    ]
  }
}

You should now see the mobile zone moving in the DeepHub UI whenever its associated trackable or location provider relocates.