indoor / outdoor positioning system?

[HaWe]

hi,
it's been a long time ago I once have asked that before:
is there meanwhile an indoor / outdoor positioning system available?
Something that works with beacons and triangulation or US/IR signal speed difference evaluation or whatever?

[timpattinson]

Like this?

[HaWe]

well, something LIKE that, yes.
But the measurements must not be disturbed by other / different reflecting items or bright light sources (like direct or reflected sunlight or halogen spot lamps). That's why I was thinking about a modulated laser, and the rooms and outdoor places or mazes are up to 150 m² big, so it must detect the beacons either at the ceiling in the center ot the room / maze
- or -
one will have to place several redundant active or reflective beacons with a unifique identification signal (like light-houses or transponders have).

[timpattinson]

well, something LIKE that, yes.
But the measurements must not be disturbed by other / different reflecting items or bright light sources (like direct or reflected sunlight or halogen spot lamps). That's why I was thinking about a modulated laser, and the rooms and outdoor places or mazes are up to 150 m² big, so it must detect the beacons either at the ceiling in the center ot the room / maze
- or -
one will have to place several redundant active or reflective beacons with a unifique identification signal (like light-houses or transponders have).

How about coloured dots on the floor:

From Team Hassenplug "Monster Chess"

untitled.jpg (6.41 KiB) Viewed 9530 times

[HaWe]

also not a bad idea, but using this in my garden for my lawn mower robot or in our living room with all those colored carpets it might become a little -non-trivial... ;)

[jojoguy14]

Well...there's the dGPS from Dexter Industries, but that's more of an outside sensor.

jojoguy10

[HaWe]

yes, correct, it's not for indoors, and the positioning is not very precise (I need at least +/- 5cm (outdoors 10cm))

[mattallen37]

You want something like this?

[HaWe]

yes, exactly - but with fully completed electronic components like Lego US sensors plus HT IR seekers or sth like that.

[mattallen37]

Well, the currently available lego devices won't do it.

I think the best you could come with with what is available, is using 2 IR seekers back to back on the mobile robot. You would need to use IR beacons that are controllable from the robot, that are stationary. That would only give you the direction to each of the points (beacons), but only at about 30 degree intervals.

Or, you could use a rotating receiver with small window to be more precise (though a lot slower).

What update speed do you need, and what update speed do you want?