Position tracking using infra-red signals for museum guiding system

Abstract

In this paper, an indoor positioning system has been presented. The proposed system is set up by using infra-red transmitters. The developed system will be utilized as the museum guiding system for the next-generation at the National Science Museum of Japan in this summer. Plenty of research works have been performed for the development of positioning systems or mobile devices of the museum guiding systems. However, user-friendly and more flexible guiding systems are still required for both exhibitors and visitors to the museums. The developed positioning system is a simple system with inexpensive components. In addition, the museum guiding devices should be simple and portable especially for the visitors. Each infra-red(IR) transmitter, which is set on the ceiling of the exhibition hall, transmits its own signal for the identification of the coordinate value of the hall area. Unlike the common IR beacon usage as a part of the museum guiding system, all the IR transmitters are set to have overlap areas for the precise positioning of the visitors with limited number of transmitters. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.