Ranging & Localization with ESP32 UWB DW3000 Module

Overview
In this getting started tutorial, we will learn about the
Ultra Wideband Technology
using
ESP32 DW3000 UWB Module
. Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a short-range, wireless communication protocol that operates through radio waves, and enables secure reliable ranging and precision sensing, creating a new dimension of spatial context for wireless devices.
The
IC DecaWave DW3000 UWB
Transceivers chip allows finding the location of objects to a precision of
10cm
. The DW3000 Chip has worldwide UWB support through its operation on
UWB channel 5
(
6.5GHz
) and
channel 9
(
8GHz
). The DW3000 is interoperable with the
Apple U1 chip
, which makes it possible to work with the Apple ecosystem.
In this tutorial, we will go through the board design, specifications, and applications. Then we will learn how to use the
ESP32 DW3000
board for High-Accuracy Ranging and Localization.
Before moving ahead, refer to some of our previous articles related to
UWB Technology
using
DW1000 Chip
to have a more clear understanding:
Getting Started with ESP32 DW1000 UWB Module
ESP32 DW1000 UWB Indoor Location Positioning System
ESP32 UWB Pro – Ultra Wideband Module with Amplifier
ESP32 DW3000 UWB Module Achieving 500m Range
Bill of Materials
We need the following components for this project. You can purchase the components from the given links.
S.N.
Components
Quantity
Purchase Links

ESP32 DW3000 Board

Makerfabs

0.96" OLED Display

Amazon
AliExpress

Micro-USB Cable

Amazon
AliExpress

Breadboard

Amazon
AliExpress

Jumper Wires

Amazon
AliExpress
What is Ultra Wideband & how does it work?
UWB is a short-range, wireless communication protocol similar to Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. It also uses radio waves for communication & operates at a very high frequency. As its name denotes, it also uses a wide spectrum of several GHz. One way to think of it is as a radar that can continuously scan an entire room and precisely lock onto an object like a laser beam to discover its location and communicate data.
The primary purpose of Ultra Wideband is location discovery and device ranging. While both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth have been modified to allow greater accuracy in locating other devices and connecting to them, UWB is natively more precise & uses less power.
A UWB transmitter works by sending billions of pulses across the wide spectrum frequency. A corresponding receiver receives the signal, which translates the pulses into data by listening for a familiar pulse sequence sent by the transmitter. Pulses are sent about one every two nanoseconds, which helps UWB achieve its real-time accuracy.
The concepts “anchor” and “tag” are important to understand distance and location measurement with UWB. An anchor is generally a fixed UWB device with a known location. A tag generally refers to a mobile UWB device. An anchor and tag exchange information to establish the distance between them. The exact location of a tag can be determined by communicating with multiple anchors. Some devices can act as either an anchor or tag.
DW3000 UWB Transceivers Chip
The DW3000 chip is a microcontroller chip produced by the company Decawave. It is used in the development of ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology for location-based services and precision indoor positioning. The chip is designed for use in applications such as asset tracking, industrial automation, and robotics. It utilizes time-of-flight (ToF) measurement to determine the distance between devices, which allows for precise positioning and location tracking.
The module has worldwide UWB support through its operation on UWB channel 5 (6.5GHz) and channel 9 (8GHz). The DW3000 is Optimized for low-power battery-operated operation and has much lower Power consumption, almost 1/3 of the DW1000.
Features of DW3000
Interoperable with Apple U1 chip
Supports UWB channels 5 (6.5GHz) and 9 (8GHz)
Fully aligned with FiRa™ PHY, MAC, and certification development
Integrated UWB IC, UWB chip antenna, power management, and crystal simplifies design integration
Optimized for Low Power battery operation
Allows for cost-effective implementation of UWB solutions
Supply voltage: 2.5 to 3.6V (VDD3V3), 1.62 to 3.6V (VDD1)
Applications of DW3000
High-precision real-time location systems
Location-aware wireless sensor networks
Asset tracking
Factory/warehouse automation and security
Healthcare staff and patient location
Retail security, navigation and customer analytics
Connected home
ESP32 DW3000 UWB(Ultra Wideband) Board
The ESP32 UWB Ultra Wideband module consists of Decawave DW3000 and ESP32 WiFi Module. This board is manufactured by
Makerfabs
. The board acts like a continuously scanning radar, that precisely locks onto another device (called Anchor) and communicates with it, thus calculating its own location. The best part about the board is it is interoperable with the Apple U1 chip, which makes it possible to work with the Apple system.
The top side of the board has ESP32 WROOM/Wrover Module embedded with DW3000 Module with other passive electronic components. There are two push buttons, one for flash and the other for rest. The board has a micro-USB port for uploading the firmware and for Serial Communication.
On the backside of the board, there is CP2102 Chip for UART communication. The name of the input/output ports is also assigned on the board. You can use male or female headers & solder on both sides of the board.
DW3000 Library Installation
To use the DW3000 with ESP32 on Arduino IDE, we need a DW3000 library. The DW3000 library offers the functionality to use Decawave’s DW3000 chips/modules with any microcontroller.
The DW3000 library was developed by
NConcepts
but you can download it from the following GitHub repository maintained by Makerfabs.
Download:
DW3000 Library
The library supports the transmission of messages, and timestamp handling (for ranging and location sensing applications), and implements the different operation modes the DW3000 has to offer. The library design is intended to offer an easy-to-use interface to the otherwise complex and configuration-intense handling of the DW3000.
Anchor & Tag Hardware Setup
Let’s learn how we can use the ESP32 DW3000 UWB (Ultra Wideband) Board with Arduino IDE and measure the distance between the boards. For this project, you will need pair of boards. One of the boards will act like an Anchor and the other like a Tag.
For the Anchor Part, we need nothing except a Micro-USB Cable. But for the tag part, we need a 0.96″ I2C OLED Display and a Powerbank. The I2C OLED will display the distance of the Tag from the Anchor. The Power bank or a battery will provide power to the movable Tag.
On the tag part, connect the 0.96″ I2C OLED display I2C Pins (SDA & SCL) to ESP32 GP21 & GP22 Pin. Connect the VCC & GND Pin of OLED Display to ESP32 3.3V & GND pin.
Source Code/Program for Range Testing
The code that we will use to test the ESP32 DW3000 Board is taken from the library example. Using this example, we can do the range testing which practically lies between a 10-20 meter distance.
Before moving to the testing part, we need to understand the
Antenna Delay Calibration
. In ultra-wideband (UWB) systems, antenna delay calibration is the process of measuring and compensating for the inherent time delay that occurs between the transmission and reception of a signal due to the physical properties of the antenna. This delay can vary depending on factors such as the frequency of the signal, the size and shape of the antenna, and the distance between the transmitter and receiver. Antenna delay calibration is important for ensuring accurate time-of-flight (ToF) measurements in UWB systems and for improving the overall performance of the system. This can be done by measuring the impulse response of the channel and then compensating for the delay.
For our code part, we have set the default antenna delay values for 64 MHz PRF as
16385
. You can