Magnetic Field Analysis for 3-D Positioning Applications

This paper proposes an analysis of the quasistationary magnetic field generated by coils and its applicability to 3-D short-range positioning scenarios. Starting from a theoretical background, an approximation of the induced voltage in a sensor coil is developed and analyzed. Then, the design and performance of a short-range magnetic field-based positioning system is described. The system is realized by using three-axis field generating coils and a three-axis sensor coil. It uses resonance properties to decrease current and power consumption requirements. The system is targeted for simple and low-cost applications, requiring subdecimeter accuracies over short ranges of approximately a couple of meters. The realized prototype, validated through in-field measurements, features a positioning error in the order of 4-5 cm over an area of 1.15 m × 1.55 m × 0.8 m.