Light positioning: A high-accuracy visible light indoor positioning system based on attitude identification and propagation model

With the booming development of green lighting technology, visible light-based indoor localization has attracted a lot of attention. Visible light-based indoor positioning technology leverages a light propagation model to pinpoint target location. Compared with the radio localization technology, visible light-based indoor positioning not only can achieve higher location accuracy, but also no electromagnetic interference. In this article, we propose LIPOS, a three-dimensional indoor positioning system based on attitude identification and visible light propagation model. The LIPOS system takes advantage of the existing lighting infrastructures to localize mobile devices that have light-sensing capabilities (e.g. a smartphone) using light emitting diode lamps as anchors. The system can accurately identify the attitude of a smartphone using its integrated sensors, distinguish different light emitting diode beacons using the fast Fourier transform algorithm, construct a position cost-function based on a visible light radiative decay model, and apply a nonlinear optimizing method to acquire the optimal estimation of final location. We have implemented the LIPOS system and evaluated it with a small-scale hardware testbed, as well as moderate-sized simulations. Extensive experiments are performed in three representative indoor environments—open-plan office, cubicle, and corridor, which not only demonstrate that the LIPOS can effectively avoid the negative effects of dynamic change of a smartphone’s attitude angle, but also show better locating accuracy and robustness, and obtain sub-meter level positioning accuracy.