High precision indoor positioning using lighting LED and image sensor

High power white LEDs are expected to replace the existing lighting technologies in near future which are also suggested for visible light communication (VLC). We propose an algorithm for high precision indoor positioning using lighting LEDs, VLC and image sensors. In the proposed algorithm, at least three LEDs transmit their three dimensional coordinate information which are received and demodulated by two image sensors at the unknown position. The unknown position is then calculated from the geometrical relations of the LED images created on the image sensor. This technique does not require any angular measurement. Results from the numerical simulations are explained to understand the effect of different system parameters on positioning accuracy. Based on numerical analyses, we show that the system is able to estimate the unknown position within the accuracy of about 10 centimeters. Positioning accuracy can be increased by using high resolution image sensors.