Possibility studies of integrated INS/RFID positioning methods for personal positioning applications

Abstract

Precise positioning has been a challenging task in the areas of surveying, mapping, robotic movement control and especially personal navigation. To date, geodetic grade GPS systems such as Trimble R8, can provide a centimetre level of accuracy in real time over a large area using real-time kinematic (RTK) technique. However, the major drawbacks of the high accuracy GPS systems are expensive, not really portable and not suitable for indoor and urban canyon. Some alternative techniques, such as the micro-machined electromechanical system (MEMS) Inertial Navigation System (INS) and the radio frequency identification (RFID) positioning technique have recently become attractive. This is because these systems meet the needs of personal guidance and tracking applications due to their indoor positioning capability, simple infrastructure requirement, portability and low cost.