Seamless Pedestrian Navigation Methodology Optimized for Indoor/Outdoor Detection

The widespread popularity of the smartphone and the increasing integrated sensors, make it possible to provide the location-based service for anyone at anytime, anywhere. The pedestrian location based on the smartphone becomes a kind of wonderful solution for indoor/outdoor positioning. A smartphone fusion location method optimized by the indoor/outdoor detection is proposed in this paper. The light sensor signal, the magnetic sensor signal, and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal are integrated into the navigation algorithm to improve the accuracy of the location identification. When the device is detected indoors, the pedestrian dead reckoning algorithm based on the accelerometers and gyroscopes is applied, the initial location and the heading direction values are obtained with the help of the mobile image sensor and the indoor electronic map. When the device is detected outdoors, the GNSS and the magnetic sensor are introduced in the system to assist the inertial process of the navigation. The experiment results indicate that the continuity and the accuracy of the seamless position between the two environments are effectively improved. It is a no-blind area indoor/outdoor navigation with the help of the indoor/outdoor detection method proposed in the paper.