Development of a UWB-based positioning system for TBM tunnel construction and validation in simulated environments

Seung-Jae Lee; Jong-Man Kwon; Mochumbe Sagini Emmanuel; Yu-Seok Kim; Chaemin Hwang

doi:10.9711/KTAJ.2025.27.5.417

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2025 Vol.27, Issue 5 Preview Page Next Page

Technical Paper

Development of a UWB-based positioning system for TBM tunnel construction and validation in simulated environments TBM 터널 시공환경을 고려한 초광대역 기반 위치추적 시스템 개발 및 유사환경 검증

30 September 2025. pp. 417-430

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Abstract

Tunnel construction sites present significant challenges for position tracking due to GNSS (global navigation satellite system) signal unavailability and severe radio interference. This study developed a positioning system optimized for TBM tunnel construction environments by applying ultra-wideband (UWB)-based phase difference of arrival (PDoA) technology. The positioning method was selected considering robustness to interference, ease of system deployment, and measurement accuracy, leading to the design and fabrication of PDoA-enabled anchor nodes and tags. The system’s positioning accuracy and Geo-Fence alarm precision were evaluated in a simulated tunnel environment. Experimental results showed that the positioning accuracy satisfied the target mean error of 100 mm, while the Geo-Fence alarm system achieved a mean error of 258.7 mm, meeting the target threshold of 300 mm. These results demonstrate that the proposed system maintains high accuracy even under adverse radio conditions and offers the practicality and scalability required for deployment in real TBM tunnel construction sites.

Keywords

Ultra-wideband

Positioning technology

Phase difference of arrival (PDoA)

Position tracking sensor

Worker safety

터널 시공 현장은 전파 간섭, 다중경로 오차 등으로 인해 GNSS (global navigation satellite system)의 활용이 제한되는 음영지역에 해당한다. 따라서 TBM (tunnel boring machine) 공사 시 발생할 수 있는 비상 상황에 신속하고 정확하게 대응 가능한 작업자 위치 파악 시스템의 개발이 필요하다. 본 연구는 초광대역(ultra-wideband, UWB) 기반 PDoA (phase difference of arrival) 측위 기술을 적용하여 TBM 터널 시공 환경에 최적화된 위치추적 시스템을 개발하였다. 측위 기술의 선정 과정에서 간섭 강인성, 시스템 구축 용이성, 측정 정확도 등을 고려하였으며, 이를 기반으로 PDoA 지원 앵커노드와 태그를 설계·제작하였다. 이후, 유사 터널 환경에서 위치추적 시스템의 측위 정확도 및 Geo-Fence 알람 시스템의 정밀도를 평가하였다. 실험 결과, 측위 정확도는 평균 오차 100 mm 이내를 만족하였으며, Geo-Fence 알람 시스템 정밀도는 평균 오차 258.7 mm로 목표 기준치인 300 mm를 충족하였다. 이 결과는 개발된 시스템이 열악한 전파 조건에서도 높은 정확도를 유지할 수 있음을 보여주며, 향후 실제 TBM 터널 시공 현장에서 적용 가능한 실용성과 확장성을 제시한다.

키워드

초광대역

측위기술

PDoA

위치추적 센서

작업자 안전

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Information

Publisher :Korean Tunneling and Underground Space Association
Publisher(Ko) :한국터널지하공간학회
Journal Title :Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
Journal Title(Ko) :한국터널지하공간학회 논문집
Volume : 27
No :5
Pages :417-430
Received Date : 2025-08-22
Revised Date : 2025-09-23
Accepted Date : 2025-09-23
DOI :https://doi.org/10.9711/KTAJ.2025.27.5.417

Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association ISSN:2233-8292(Print) 2287-4747(Online) 한국터널지하공간학회 논문집

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