The document discusses using motion sensors like accelerometers and gyroscopes for indoor navigation. It explains that inertial sensors can provide information about orientation, motion tracking, pedometer data, and environmental information through data fusion. However, there are challenges with using inertial sensors alone for indoor navigation including lack of an absolute position fix, high power consumption, reliability of map matching, and accuracy limitations. The document suggests potential solutions and applications like using the sensors only when needed to save power, combining step counting with foot mounting, and opportunities in applications where battery life is not critical or environments have strong constraints.

1. Indoor navigation using
motion sensors?
Ian Sheret
3rd December 2009

2. Inertial sensors

3. Inertial sensors
Accelerometer senses:
• Acceleration
• Gravity

4. Inertial sensors
Gyro senses:
• Rate of rotation

5. Inertial sensors
Data fusion to get:
• Orientation
• Motion tracking?

6. Navigation

7. Navigation

8. Navigation

9. Navigation
Inertial
navigation
processing

10. Navigation
Inertial
navigation
processing

11. Navigation
Navigation
processing
Information
about:
• Motion
• Environment

12. Motion information

13. Motion information
Pedometer

14. Motion information
Pedometer
Foot
mounted
sensor

15. Environment information

16. Great! Except...
• Absolute fix?
• Power consumption?
• Map matching reliability?
• Accuracy?
• Value?

17. Ways forward
Niche Mainstream
applications applications

18. Ways forward...
Niche Mainstream
applications applications

19. Power management:

20. Power management:
Minimum sensors to
maintain solution
Logging, process on
demand?

21. Accuracy:

22. Accuracy:
Step Foot
counting mounted

23. Accuracy:
Step Hybrid Foot
counting approaches mounted

24. Gyros and smartphones

25. Opportunities
• Where battery doesn’t matter
• Highly constrained environments
• Crowd-sourcing