TRX Systems Case Study

TRX Systems enables ultra precise 3D personnel tracking in GPS-free environments with ADI’s advanced iSensor^® inertial sensors —
Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has had a transformative impact on our navigation and tracking capabilities, but there are many environments – indoors, underground, urban centers – where GPS is unavailable or degraded. In these environments, teams responding to emergency situations cannot rely on GPS location and status monitoring to help ensure the safety and security of first responders.

TRX Systems’ Sentrix^® Tracking System overcomes this challenge, enabling 3D infrastructure-free personnel tracking in office buildings, warehouses, caves, mines, ‘urban canyons’ and other GPS-denied environments. Utilizing advanced sensor and map fusion technology, motion classification algorithms, and data analysis engines, the Sentrix Tracking System affords first responders the ability to navigate unfamiliar terrain and track personnel with motion-capture precision in even the harshest conditions.

Within each body-mounted Sentrix tracking unit, an ADI iSensor^® ADIS16365 inertial sensor provides the high-performance gyroscope and accelerometer sensing functionality required to compute user motion and orientation in real-time. ADIS16365 inertial sensors utilize ADI’s advanced iMEMS^® technology& to enable dynamic, multiaxis sensing precision in conjunction with TRX’s proprietary Inertial Engine algorithms, providing the ability to track a user’s movement and posture, and classify user motions such as walking, running, side stepping and crawling.

Sentrix tracking units are typically worn under users’ uniforms, and are ruggedized to withstand high body heat and environmental temperature. Where the performance of competing sensors is compromised under these conditions, ADI’s ADIS16365 inertial sensors are designed to sustain consistent operation in temperatures up to 105 degrees. 

ADI’s integration of multiple axis of accelerometer and gyroscope in a single package enabled TRX’s design team to conserve valuable board space and achieve a highly compact form factor so as not to impede users’ agility in the field. ADIS16365 inertial sensors also help to minimize power consumption, ensuring that users can work a full 8+ hour shift between system re-charges.