LED Technology
Increase indoor position accuracy using VLC
By Mark Patrick, Mouser Electronics T
hroughout history, people have always feared getting lost. Early explorers used the stars for navigation before later developing specialised
instruments to help them determine their exact location on the surface of the earth. Nowadays, people use electronic localisation technologies like the Global Positioning System (GPS) to navigate their daily travels. However, while this is ideally suited for outdoor applications, it has limitations for indoor use. In this article, we look at the benefits of being able to accurately track the location of people inside smart buildings and review the suitability of different technologies for use in indoor positioning systems (IPS). We then explain the concept of Visible Light Communications (VLC) and show how it can be implemented to meet the accuracy requirements of this application.
Indoor location tracking Shopping malls, airports, large business campuses and healthcare facilities regularly host large numbers of people and having the ability to understand in real-time, where, when and how people are moving around offers a multitude of opportunities for the companies managing these buildings. The benefits of indoor location tracking provided by IPS means it is quickly becoming a must-have solution for large indoor venues, enabling smarter and more optimised environments that enhance the overall visitor experience. In busy retail outlets, for example, knowing where customers are stationary can be lucrative when developing a strategy for where products are displayed. Knowing about customer positioning can also be used to optimise a store design so that traffic flow for shoppers is more efficient. In office
38 February 2023
environments, IPS can save time by guiding visitors to meeting rooms. In hospitals, it can help to save lives by providing real-time insights on emergency admissions allowing more space to be made available for patient treatment and enabling hospital managers ensure that sufficient staff are on standby to cope with the increased demand. Indoor location tracking also improves the management and security of people
Components in Electronics
and assets. For example, it provides immediate information about the location of critical devices (laptops, tablets, or other connected equipment) in a building and can be used to trigger an alarm should a high-value asset pass through an unauthorised exit. Similarly, it can be used for access control to restrict the movement of individuals to certain areas within a building, depending on their privilege level.
It can also be used to dynamically alert people where the nearest fire escape is located as they move around a building and in the event of a fire breaking out guide them to that location using the fastest route. While the benefits for these real-time applications are clear, the data gathered by indoor location tracking systems over the longer term is equally if not even more valuable. By gathering
www.cieonline.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62
