Indoor positioning and navigation

RFID markers are proving to be a cheap and reliable enabler for indoor positioning applications. Motivated by this we have developed a concrete embeddable passive RFID tag for robust and long-lasting way-point identification. Embedding commercially available passive tags in concrete significantly reduces their read range and hence, usefulness as markers. By appropriate redesign of the antenna and packaging we have extended hand-held readability of concrete embedded passive tags beyond one meter. This paper details the background R&D of our prototype tags, including test and measurement results.

This paper suggests a navigation structure for visually impaired/blind people using A star algorithm. The proposed structure is consisted of two parts. In the first part planning the path and in the second part avoiding obstacles. The aim is to guide-visually impaired/blind people from a required location to a desired location. Two tests are run in each part and modeled in C sharp language and MATLAB program. Simulation
results show good performance for the proposed scheme that the visually impaired/blind people reach the desired location successfully without error. In conclusion, A star path finding algorithm using C sharp language was a valid and reliable method to guide the visually impaired / blind people from a required location to a desired location in indoor environment with or without obstacles.

In last years the interest in indoor localization techniques is grown very quickly: due to huge increase of interest in domotic technologies and to fast improvement of capabilities for mobile devices, which are becoming always-connected support points for standard users, the capability of making spatial data-contextualization has become an important point of interest. Existing GPS technologies aren’t capable of realizing sufficient accuracy needed for indoor positioning, so it is necessary to find alternative cost-effective methods to resolve localization problem. Excluding odometry-based tracking methods (which present a lot of uncertainty for making an absolute positioning), famous signal DoA (Direction Of Arrival) spectral-based localization algorithms like CAPON, ESPRIT, MUSIC[1],[2] provide valid localization accuracy assuming device capability to analyze in real-time physical parameters (amplitude/phase) of received radiocommunication signals to a spatial antenna array. This requirement could be achieved using ad-hoc radio equipment, which causes an increase of production costs: maybe, it is far better to develop some kind of new algorithms capable of using standard IEEE wireless protocols information (like RSS indicator, RSSI) for positioning elaboration. In this article, it will be analytically demonstrated the capability of MUSIC[1] algorithm to elaborate RSSI standard transceiver values (placing some measurement conditions), and there will be shown a comparison between DoA localizations using the classical information set (amplitude/phase) and the RSSI set (obtained simply reading transceiver standard registers).

This paper suggests a navigation structure for visually impaired/blind people. The proposed structure is consisted of builder simulator, smart phone with built-in compass and cane. The aim is to guide visually impaired/blind people from a required location to a desired location. Multi tests are run where modeled in C sharp and java languages and MATLAB program using A* algorithm. Experimental results show good performance for the proposed scheme that the visually impaired/blind people reach the desired location successfully without error. In conclusion, A* path finding algorithm using C sharp language for builder simulator, and java language for smart phone, were valid and reliable methods to guide the visually impaired / blind people from a required location to a desired location in indoor environment with or without obstacles. Keywords: Smart phone, built in compass, cane, planning the path, avoidance obstacles, visually impaired/blind people, A* algorithm, path finding, and indoor navigation

Wireless Sensor network systems are one of the supreme expansions in communications area. An example of such a network is the ZigBee wireless sensor network, which is equipped with variety of sensors and used widely in environment monitoring, healthcare, home automation, etc. Estimating location of people, assets, and portable devices can increase home automation control efficiency. PDR utilizes the accelerometers measurements to calculate the distance travelled by counting the number of steps and estimating the length of each step. The direction or heading angle is calculated from the gyroscope measurements. In this paper, we proposed an integrated PDR/Zigbee indoor positioning system to provide reliable, continuous and accurate solution. The experimental results show that the proposed Zigbee/PDR integrated solution can accurately determine the position with error distance less than two meters compared to more than five meters in case of standalone PDR.

Navigation systems are known to provide time and location information for easy and accurate navigation in a specified environment. While Global Positioning System (GPS) has recorded a considerable success for navigating outdoors, the absence of GPS indoors has made orientation in an indoor environment challenging. Furthermore, existing technologies and methods of indoor positioning and navigation, such as WLAN, Bluetooth and Infrared, have been complex, inaccurate, expensive and challenging to implement; thereby limiting the usability of these technologies in less developed countries. This limitation of navigation services makes it difficult and time-consuming to locate a destination in indoor and closed spaces. Hence, recent works with Near Field Communication (NFC) has kindled interest in positioning and navigation.

While navigating, users in less developed nations face several challenges, such as infrastructure complexity, high-cost solution, inaccuracy and usability. However, this research focuses on providing interventions to alleviate usability challenges, in order to strengthen the overall accuracy and the navigation effectiveness in stringent environments through the experiential manipulation of technical attributes of the positioning and navigation system in indoor environments. Therefore, this study adopted the realist ontology and the positivist epistemological approach. It followed a quantitative and experimental method of empirical enquiry, and software engineering and synthesis research methods. The study entails three implementation processes, namely map generation, positioning framework and navigation service using a prototype mobile navigation application that uses the NFC technology. It used open-source software and hardware engineering tools, instruments and technologies, such as Ubuntu Linux, Android Software Development Kit, Arduino, NFC APIs and PandaBoard. The data was collected and the findings evaluated in three stages: pre-test, experiment and post-test.

Our approach and findings revealed that the capability of NFC in leveraging its low-cost infrastructure of passive tags, its availability in mobile devices and the ubiquity of the mobile device provided a cost-effective solution with impressive accuracy and usability. Based on the outcome of the positioning and navigation study with NFC, the positioning accuracy (i.e. the distance between the mobile device and the NFC tag) was less than 9 cm. The prototype navigation system used on an android emulator and a mobile device showed that the usability improved after the post-test from 44% to 96% based on the feedbacks given by respondents who tested the application in an indoor environment. Furthermore, the evaluation and findings in this work showed that NFC is a viable alternative to resolve the challenges identified in previous solutions and technologies.

Full Text: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2290

Navigating indoors has resulted in a variety of research. However, the existing methods are complex and time consuming resulting in a high cost solution. Existing research has not been able to address these issues; this makes the usability of indoor navigation doubtful in developing countries. This paper presents a cost-effective method of navigating indoors using Near Field Communication (NFC) and adopting the Universal Design principles. The proposed system enables users to navigate indoors by tapping an NFC embedded mobile phone to an NFC tag. This study has profound implications for future studies of NFC and has potential to make indoor navigation ubiquitous.

Indoor localization and mapping has become very crucial part of pervasive computing in recent times. Conventional outdoor techniques using GPS, Wi-Fi, and Cellular Networks have proved expensive and unconventional for indoor mapping. This document presents unique method of real time indoor localization and mapping using FM and ASK wave transceivers implemented using Phased Locked Loop and Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). Localization is procured with respect to three FM transmitters tuned at different frequencies. The geometrical wave model of these transmitters renders family of circles, where radius of each circle represents ‘Received Signal Strength Indicator’ (RSSI) value corresponding to a particular transmitter. Solving this family of circles for a common point yields the location of object with respect to the transmitters. Object is installed with customized FPGA core and 3 FM receivers tuned to respective transmitter frequencies. RSSI values from each FM receiver are resolved into 4 bit digital values inclusively. FPGA acquire and process values from FM receivers via 3 parallel I2C buses which provide real time response. Unwanted continuous FM radiation is prevented by the use of wireless control over FM transmitters. Overall, a low cost solution is obtained to create a digital map which localizes and tracks objects in real-time.

The navigation ecosystem is rapidly changing. Indoor navigation has attracted attention with the introduction of mobile devices into the market. Although mobile devices are used more often for outdoor navigation , they have opened up opportunities for indoor navigation proponents. Near Field Communication in indoor navigation is still in its exploratory stage. Despite an increase in the variety of indoor navigation research, challenges remain in designing a framework that is neither complex nor expensive. NFC is a novel method of navigating in indoor environments. Providing an overview of its benefits and usefulness compared with existing indoor navigation technologies is the subject of this chapter.

This paper suggests a navigation structure for visually impaired/blind people using A star algorithm. The proposed structure is consisted of two parts. In the first part planning the path and in the second part avoiding obstacles. The aim is to guidevisually impaired/blind people from a required location to a desired location. Two tests are run in each part and modeled in C sharp language and MATLABprogram. Simulation results show good performance for the proposed scheme that the visually impaired/blind people reach the desired location successfully without error. In conclusion, A star path finding algorithm using C sharp language was a valid and reliable method to guide the visually impaired / blind people from a required location to a desired location in indoor environment with or without obstacles.

RFID markers are proving to be a cheap and reliable enabler for indoor positioning applications. Motivated by this we have developed a concrete embeddable passive RFID tag for robust and long-lasting way-point identification. Embedding commercially available passive tags in concrete significantly reduces their read range and hence, usefulness as markers. By appropriate redesign of the antenna and packaging we have extended hand-held readability of concrete embedded passive tags beyond one meter. This paper details the background R&D of our prototype tags, including test and measurement results.

Abstract— In recent years, GPS chipset technologies have been changed completely in order to allow for positioning under extreme conditions, such as in indoor environments. The necessity of always having a positioning capability is rising, but what accuracy level can be ...

In last years the interest in indoor localization techniques is grown very quickly: due to huge increase of interest in domotic technologies and to fast improvement of capabilities for mobile devices, which are becoming always-connected support points for standard users, the capability of making spatial data-contextualization has become an important point of interest. Existing GPS technologies aren’t capable of realizing sufficient accuracy needed for indoor positioning, so it is necessary to find alternative cost-effective methods to resolve localization problem. Excluding odometry-based tracking methods (which present a lot of uncertainty for making an absolute positioning), famous signal DoA (Direction Of Arrival) spectral-based localization algorithms like CAPON, ESPRIT, MUSIC[1],[2] provide valid localization accuracy assuming device capability to analyze in real-time physical parameters (amplitude/phase) of received radiocommunication signals to a spatial antenna array. This r...

Navigation systems are known to provide time and location information for easy and accurate navigation in a specified environment. While Global Positioning System (GPS) has recorded a considerable success for navigating outdoors, the absence of GPS indoors has made orientation in an indoor environment challenging. Furthermore, existing technologies and methods of indoor positioning and navigation, such as WLAN, Bluetooth and Infrared, have been complex, inaccurate, expensive and challenging to implement; thereby limiting the usability of these technologies in less developed countries. This limitation of navigation services makes it difficult and time-consuming to locate a destination in indoor and closed spaces. Hence, recent works with Near Field Communication (NFC) has kindled interest in positioning and navigation. While navigating, users in less developed nations face several challenges, such as infrastructure complexity, high-cost solution, inaccuracy and usability. However, this research focuses on providing interventions to alleviate usability challenges, in order to strengthen the overall accuracy and the navigation effectiveness in stringent environments through the experiential manipulation of technical attributes of the positioning and navigation system in indoor environments. Therefore, this study adopted the realist ontology and the positivist epistemological approach. It followed a quantitative and experimental method of empirical enquiry, and software engineering and synthesis research methods. The study entails three implementation processes, namely map generation, positioning framework and navigation service using a prototype mobile navigation application that uses the NFC technology. It used open-source software and hardware engineering tools, instruments and technologies, such as Ubuntu Linux, Android Software Development Kit, Arduino, NFC APIs and PandaBoard. The data was collected and the findings evaluated in three stages: pre-test, experiment and post-test. Our approach and findings revealed that the capability of NFC in leveraging its low-cost infrastructure of passive tags, its availability in mobile devices and the ubiquity of the mobile device provided a cost-effective solution with impressive accuracy and usability. Based on the outcome of the positioning and navigation study with NFC, the positioning accuracy (i.e. the distance between the mobile device and the NFC tag) was less than 9 cm. The prototype navigation system used on an android emulator and a mobile device showed that the usability improved after the post-test from 44% to 96% based on the feedbacks given by respondents who tested the application in an indoor environment. Furthermore, the evaluation and findings in this work showed that NFC is a viable alternative to resolve the challenges identified in previous solutions and technologies. Full Text: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/2290

This paper presents an investigation about Switched Beam Antennas (SBA) applied to WiFi nodes for indoor positioning systems based on RSSI measurement. Given practical consideration on costs, the proposed node is based low-cost commercial components capable of standard WiFi connectivity at 2.45 GHz.
The SBA is the enabling technology for Beam Diversity Multiple Access. Upon the reception of radio messages from
generic mobile devices, the node estimates the DoA of the
incoming signals on the basis of a likelihood criterion driven
by beam diversity.
SBA design has great impact on the localization performance.
In this paper an investigation around the shape, and in particular on the dihedral angle is presented. Thanks to a model based on trustful electromagnetic simulations, some conclusions on the general design principles of the SBA’s are drawn.