Accurate Positioning using LoraWAN

With LoRaWAN technology as the hardware to receive GPS signal, the data is processed in Matlab and displayed in App Designer.

Recent years have witnessed a great increase in the popularity of online shopping. How to maximize positive recipient doorstep experience remains one of the key challenges for any courier service provider. Conventional methods install an onboard GPS sensor in every courier vehicle in order to provide an estimated time of arrival (ETA). However, the positioning accuracy of assisted GPS (AGPS) is questionable when the vehicle passes a blind spot where both satellite and cellular network signals are unreachable. In this project, we aim to develop an accurate positioning system for DHL express delivery package by leveraging Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), which is designed for Internet of Things (IoT) networks. Specifically, we deploy multiple LoRa nodes, each installed at one vehicle. Each LoRa node collects GPS and received signal strength indicator (RSSI) before sending them to a cloud network via a nearby LoRa gateway. An application server is designed to optimize the entire package delivery sequence based on the GPS coordinates of both courier and customer delivery point as well as live traffic conditions. Automatic customer notifications will be triggered once the parcel ETA is 5-minute and 30-minute away from doorstep arrival. The aforementioned solution is demonstrated via an experimental testbed, which strengthens the business use case scenarios.