Development of Positioning Technology Using LED

Abstract

With the development of electric vehicles, indoor driving robots, wearable devices, etc., research on technology for recognizing one's current location continues to progress. Self-localization is an essential need for autonomous driving and mainly requires global positioning system (GPS), thereby using technologies such as LiDAR, Wi-Fi, and visible light communication (VLC). However, GPS is greatly affected by its surrounding environment, and it can make errors, especially in spaces where signals are blocked, such as tunnels and buildings. In this paper, we propose a system for estimating one's location using LED lights and frequency components with different color temperatures in an indoor space such as a tunnel. We installed three types of LED lights with different color temperatures in a tunnel-like experimental environment and collected data using RGB sensors. We also estimated the user's current location according to the color temperature and frequency component analysis from the data. In most cases, it was measured within a margin of error of 0–2 cm. It is expected that this will be used for generating data on the location of indoor service robots and autonomous vehicles in spaces where it is difficult to use GPS.