Localization with Symbolic Precision Using Diffuse Infrared Radiation

Wireless indoor positioning systems have become very popular in recent years since location information enables networks to provide numerous potential applications in monitoring and tracking surveillance, building automation and healthcare services. In many applications, the room the target is being in, or symbolic location information, is sufficient. For instance in hospitals, doctors and nurses require real-time symbolic positioning knowledge of patients to promote healthcare management. Also, medical devices need to be tracked to assure instant access. In comparison with outdoor localization, indoor localization is much more complex because the indoor channel varies significantly with the environment and depends heavily on many factors such as building structure, layout of rooms, and the type of construction materials. Therefore, conventional radio frequency localization could be inaccurate or need sophisticated techniques to improve reliability. In this work, an inexpensive, reliable solution to indoor localization with symbolic accuracy using diffuse infrared radiation is addressed. The paper describes the system from a network perspective as well as investigates aspects of the transmitter, the receiver and the channel. Simulation results to assess the performance of the system are included.