Automatic Tracking System – UShow V1.0 Release Notes

Ushow is an intelligent automated tracking system developed in combination with UWB positioning technology and advanced algorithms..

Function highlights ：

 

1. It supports up to 15 light fixtures and 4 tracking targets. The maximum data refresh rate for a single tracking target can reach 100Hz. The maximum distance between the anchor and tracking tag can reach 600 meters. However, this depends on the hardware model, the number of system base stations, and the data communication rate settings. It can be configured according to the customer’s needs.

2. It support 4-8 anchors. If it is an outdoor open area without any obstructions between the anchors and the positioning tags, 4 anchors are sufficient. For projects with potential obstructions, it is recommended to deploy more anchors around the tracking area.

3. The professional algorithm can automatically calibrate the position of the light fixtures. If it is difficult to determine the hanging position of the light fixtures using a laser rangefinder, this feature can be used for quick test positioning. However, there may still be errors due to the limitations of hardware distance measurement capabilities. It is advisable to use a laser rangefinder to determine the coordinates of the light fixtures whenever possible.

4. It supports PSN protocol for outputting the position of tracking tags. It also supports switching between different coordinate systems and depth inversion.

5. It supports remote control of light fixtures via PAD (android or iOS).

6. It also supports camera input for real-time monitoring of the stage situation. It can import floor plan layouts as well.

7. It supports exporting and importing data of light fixtures and anchors.

8. It supports setting the tracking area on the stage, automatically turning on/off the lights when entering/exiting the area. Corresponding trigger signals can be sent via OSC to trigger audio and video playback in other software.

9. It supports switching between height offset and fixed height mode. For fixed height tracking, the corresponding anchor layout needs to be adjusted accordingly if 3D tracking is required.

10. It allows setting the corresponding high and low values for the ZOOM parameter of each light fixture to achieve automatic adjustment of the ZOOM effect.

 

 

 Hardwares ：

The hardware of the entire tracking system mainly consists of anchors, tags, and a wireless gateway. The corresponding positioning calculation and processing require the use of a high-performance computer. Additionally, the communication between this system and the computer can be established through either wireless or wired connection. For wireless communication, it can be connected to a wireless router or directly to a wireless hotspot created by the computer’s wireless network card. For wired communication, it can be connected directly to the computer’s network card using an Ethernet cable.

 

The image above shows the positioning anchor, which can also be used as a positioning tag.

The image above shows a wristband positioning tag.

The image above shows a  wireless gateway.

The wireless gateway’s USB port can be connected to the A0 anchor using a USB to Android adapter cable. This allows the A0 anchor to send data to the computer. As long as the anchor is connected to the tag, it will automatically send data to a fixed IP address. Therefore, you need to ensure that the IP address of your computer’s network card matches the fixed IP address set in the gateway. The default IP address is 192.168.2.72.

The wireless gateway requires external power supply. You can directly connect it to a mobile power bank through the OTG port (Android port) for power, or use the provided charger  for power supply.

The anchor itself has a built-in rechargeable battery. Under regular full charge, it can standby for about 12 hours, and the tag can standby for about 20 hours. However, this may vary depending on the data refresh rate.

 Wireless gateway connection methods

 System Connection ：

1. First, let’s talk about the installation of anchors.

Since the anchors have built-in batteries and can be used with wireless gateways, there is no need to run various signal wires when setting up the anchors. Simply tape the A0 anchor above 1.8 meters from the ground, preferably in a high and unobstructed location. If there are walls, try to keep it at least 0.5 meters away from the wall. Wireless signals are most affected by human obstruction, so try to keep the positioning tags away from the human body as much as possible. Then, connect the anchors to the wireless gateway, which can be connected to the server according to its connection method. Place the rest of the anchors clockwise at the same height to form a rectangular plane. If there are four anchors, try to form a square plane for the best accuracy in algorithms. If a rectangle is formed, the aspect ratio should not exceed 2:1, otherwise, the positioning accuracy along the longer side may be affected.

Four anchors installation schematic diagram

Six anchors installation schematic diagram


Eight anchors installation schematic diagram

If three-dimensional positioning is required, where the tracking height is not fixed, it is necessary to arrange the anchors in different heights rather than just on the same plane. The lower anchors should not be directly attached to the ground, and the antennas should face the tracking area.
Three-dimensional positioning anchor installation schematic diagram 
2. After setting up the anchors, the next step is to wirelessly connect them to a WiFi router or create a hotspot using the wireless network card of your computer. First, you need to connect the gateway to the computer using the provided USB cable to set up the connection with the corresponding hotspot. You can use the Putty software provided in the installation package to establish a serial connection. Make sure to connect to the correct COM port and log in with the username “root” and password “123456”. Once logged in, enter the command “nmtui” to configure the connection with the corresponding WiFi network. Ensure that the IP address of the network card on your computer for receiving data is set to 192.168.2.72. You can modify this IP address by using the command “nano /root/serial2TCP.sh”. After making the modifications, save the changes and restart the gateway using the command “sudo reboot”. Once the gateway is properly configured, you can disconnect it from the computer and connect it directly to the A0 anchor.
 
3. After connecting the gateway, we can follow the system connection diagram to run a network cable from the router to the console that supports ARTNET merge, an Artnet converter box, or lighting fixtures that support Artnet input. If connected to a console, you can control other parameters of the lighting fixtures at any time using the console. However, when using Artnet merge, attention should be paid to specific settings, such as selecting the console network port, avoiding IP conflicts, and considering merge priorities and PT axis speed channels.
4. For pad connection, simply connecting to the same WiFi network is sufficient. Afterward, we can use the appropriate software to connect to the positioning server to control the lighting fixture channels or perform other debugging work. If not using a console for control, a PAD can be used to control the common channels of the lighting fixtures.

 

Software Introduction :

First is the software’s left panel, where all the settings related to the lighting fixtures are located. Each section has an up and down arrow icon on the left side, which can expand or collapse the related parameters. The first section, “Lighting Fixture Settings,” has a right-facing arrow icon on the far right that can hide or show the entire left panel.

All slider adjustment items can be directly adjusted using the mouse scroll wheel, and right-clicking can restore the default values. The yellow parameters are specific to each individual lighting fixture, while the purple parameters are global parameters, such as Footprint-Dimmer.

The lighting fixture settings section contains parameters dedicated to lighting fixture-related settings. The channel mapping section allows for global parameter settings and channel mapping, ensuring consistency with the lighting fixture channel table used for tracking. The DMX settings section enables configuring output using Artnet or sACN. The PSN settings section enables different coordinate system conversions.

On the right side of the software is the upper-right corner showing the software’s running frame rate and a save button.

Below that are the View settings, space settings, anchor settings, and tag settings.

 In the view settings section, you can switch between the normal perspective view and the plan view. When using the plan view, you can import an image as the background for the plan view. The camera and NDI settings here are used to compare the monitoring screen with the simulation. When controlling the lighting parameters using a Pad, you can monitor the stage  and adjust parameters such as brightness in real-time.
 
When you activate the interaction button for the corresponding view, you can drag the view in 3D space with the left mouse button. In the perspective view, you can use the ADWSQE keys to navigate the scene. Of course, you can also directly adjust the parameters using the corresponding sliders.
 
The space settings section is used to set the dimensions of the tracked stage area and includes visual adjustment options for the monitoring video, stage, and overall UI. The stage size setting here is related to the automatic dimmer function.
 
The anchor settings section allows you to set parameters such as the three-dimensional coordinates for each anchor.
 

The tag settings section allows you to configure the functionalities for each tag, such as automatic dimmer, and other related settings.

After understanding the general layout of the software’s UI, we can now proceed with the debugging process.

 
1. Switch the right-side parameter to “Anchor Settings.” The button before the IP address switch should be in the enabled state. Ensure that your network card’s IP is set to 192.168.2.72. If you have previously exported anchor data, you can use the “Load Config File” option to load the data into the software. Note that the file name needs to change in order for the import to occur. If the existing configuration file has the same name, you can manually rename it to a different name first and then change it back to import the data.
 
You can select a maximum of 8 anchors and a minimum of 4 anchors. When adjusting the XYZ-axis positions of the anchors below, you can double-click on the data field at the far right to input precise measurements if you have accurate data from laser rangefinders. The unit of all length parameters in the software is meters.
 
During on-site debugging, it is recommended to use a dedicated laser rangefinder to measure the distances between the anchors accurately and determine the coordinates of each anchor. If you don’t have one, you can also place positioning tags in the corresponding positions to measure distances. The bottom section displays the distance values from tag T1 to each anchor. However, please note that these measurements may have some fluctuation errors, so using a more precise laser rangefinder is still preferable. The measurements are taken from the middle point of each anchor.
 
Regarding the determination of the anchor coordinates, the height is usually based on the normal height from the ground (Y-axis), while the X-axis origin is determined based on the center of the stage. The arrangement of the anchors should also be based on the tracking area. Therefore, typically, the A0 position serves as the Z-axis origin point. If you are unsure about the positive and negative axes of the software’s coordinate system, you can refer to the coordinate system indicator in the bottom right corner.
 
2. After determining the coordinates of the anchors, the next step is to set the options in the ” Fixture Settings” on the left side.
Select the number of tracking fixtures and then set the relevant parameters for accurate tracking. If you have previously exported a lighting fixture data file, you can also import the data for configuration.
 
You can choose different lighting fixture IDs in the “Select Fixture” section to make individual parameter settings. This includes assigning tracking tag IDs and setting the three-dimensional coordinates of the fixture. If it is difficult to measure the coordinates of the fixtures on-site, you can use the positioning calibration feature to determine their positions.
 
The specific steps are as follows: Before using this feature, ensure that the channel mapping and other relevant lighting fixture settings are properly configured. Activate the Artnet output to ensure that the relevant channels of the fixtures can be controlled successfully. Adjust the ZOOM channel of the fixture to the narrowest beam effect, preferably using a PAD for operation. Also, before using this feature, make sure that the XYZ-axis rotation angles of the fixtures are set to 0.
 
Place a positioning tag in a specific location within the tracking area and activate the “PosCal OFF” button. At this point, you will see white lines appearing in the 3D space for calibration purposes. Adjust the PT Axis Calibration sliders to align with the positioning tag. If multiple fixtures are tracking this tag, you can select the corresponding fixture and adjust the PT Axis Calibration sliders to align with the tag. Then, click on the “Position 1” button. One of the lines will automatically align with the respective calibrated position and angle. Repeat this process for each fixture that needs calibration by clicking the “Position 1” button. Next, move the tag to a different position and align the fixture to it following the same steps. Click on the “Position 2” button. Finally, click on the “Start Calibration” button, and the software will automatically calculate the approximate positions of the fixtures.
When using a laser rangefinder to measure the positions of the fixtures, please note that you should measure the center position of the arm rotation axis (U-arm) of the fixture, not the base position of the fixture.
 
Once you have determined the positions of the fixtures, you can move the tags to test the rotation angles of the fixtures. It is important to check the Y-axis rotation in particular. If the PT axis of a fixture is inverted, you can activate the corresponding option for axis invert. The PT Flip option is mainly used to prevent automatic flipping of the P axis to its extreme value. If there is automatic flipping of the P axis when moving the tag during testing, you can activate this button.
 
If there is deviation in the tracking of the fixtures, first consider whether the angle range values of the PT axis are accurate. Sometimes, the indicated PT axis range in the manual may not be correct, and actual testing is required. If the PT axis range is not an issue, you can adjust the respective rotation angles based on the specific hanging posture of the fixtures.
 
The “Fixture Color” option allows you to adjust the color of the box representing each fixture in the 3D space. You can set a different color representation for each fixture or activate the “Sync” button to adjust the color uniformly. Please note that these colors do not represent the actual beam colors of the fixtures.
 
Furthermore, the “Starting Channel” option automatically changes the starting channels for other fixtures when you make changes.
 
The “Channel Settings” section is used to map the channels of the fixtures for control. You can set the number of pre-PT axis channels and Aft-PT axis channels based on the actual channel table of the fixtures. After that, you can set up the channel mapping in the order specified by the actual channel table. For the “ColTemp” channel, if it’s not available, you can set it to another functional channel as needed. For example, you can set it to the number of the “Focus” channel. If some channels are 16-bit, you only need to set the coarse adjustment channel.
 

 Once you have made the necessary settings, you can directly control the fixtures through the interface of the PAD. Open the pre-PT axis channel interface to adjust the values of the corresponding channels. The values range from 0 to 1, corresponding to DMX values of 0 to 255. You can also change the names of the respective channels for easier identification. Although there are 50 channels available for control, the actual channels in use depend on the number of pre-PT axis and Aft-PT axis channels you have set in the channel settings section.
 
3. After setting up the fixture parameters, let’s now explore the tag-related settings.
 
When the “AutoTuneOff” option is activated, if a tag shuts down or loses signal and fails to calculate its position, the corresponding tag lights will automatically turn off. The duration of the shutdown is determined by the AutoDimmerFadeTime option. This is an experimental feature and should only be used when you can ensure that the signals from your anchors will not be obstructed or lost during positioning calculations. To achieve accurate positioning, it is recommended to have at least three anchors with valid distance measurements regardless of the number of anchors you have.
 
The buttons BelowAnchor are normally used when tracking objects below the anchors. If you are using the system to track targets above the anchors, such as tracking objects in the air, you can switch to “Above Anchor” mode. The DataFilter option can be used to stabilize tracking data when there is significant data jitter. However, it may increase the tracking latency. Avoid setting the value too high if you need to track fast-moving objects.
 
Next, there are options for AutoDimmer, Name Display, and color settings for each tag. Note that you cannot set the tag color if the tag is powered off or positioning calculations fail. The AutoDimmer feature automatically turns on/off the lights when the tag enters/exits the tracking area. You can set the size and position of the tracking area in the space settings. The fading time for AutoDimmer is 0.5 seconds. The trigger signal for entering/exiting the tracking area can be output to other software for triggering audioideo playback using the “OSC Output” option.
 
Following that are the height-related settings for the four tags. By default, it is set to “Height Offset.”If you need to track changes in height, the corresponding anchors should be set up for 3D tracking, and you can adjust the height offset value to improve height positioning accuracy. If you only need 2D tracking, you can switch to “Fixed Height” and set a fixed tracking height using the slider.
 
The last option is the AutoZoom function for the four tags. You can place the positioning tag either at the farthest or nearest tracking position from the fixtures and set the appropriate zoom value. Click on “HighValue” or “LowValue” to define the highest and lowest zoom levels, respectively. Activate the automatic zoom function to enable automatic adjustment of the fixture zoom based on the distance.

Application direction:

Various performance venues. If you have any suggestions, you can comment below, if you have any questions, please contact us directly.

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