Follow that Light: Leveraging LEDs for Relative Two-Dimensional Localization

Abstract

Visible light is gaining significant attention as a medium to achieve accurate relative localization. Most of the studies in the area focus on indoor positioning and rely on two important assumptions: (i) lights are static, and (ii) the receiver has line-of-sight with multiple lights. These requirements limit the application of localization methods in scenarios where nodes have a single light and are mobile, such as motorbikes or swarms of robots. In general, this particular type of scenarios (single lights moving on a plane) leads to under-determined localization systems where no unique solution can be found. We follow a holistic approach that includes theory, simulations, and experiments to overcome some of the limitations present in such type of scenarios. Our theoretical and simulation results show that if nodes are enhanced with sensors providing relative directions (such as compasses), we can derive dependencies in the system to obtain unique solutions. Our proof-of-concept implementation validates our model by showing that single lights can provide relative localization with high accuracy: an average error below 5cm.