A fast and stable calibration method for VLP system without any geometric measurement

Abstract. Visible light positioning (VLP) is one of the most promising technologies for providing high-precision, low-cost indoor positioning and navigation services. However, the traditional calibration methods of VLP are complex and unfriendly to users, which hinders the large-scale commercial deployment of VLP systems. In this letter, a fast and stable calibration method for Lambert model in the received signal strength (RSS)-based VLP system is proposed, which dispenses with geometric measurement and greatly simplifies the calibration procedures. The proposed method calibrates the Lambert model through two steps, firstly using a ratio method to calibrate the Lambert order, and then estimating the constant term. The actual processes only require moving a robot equipped with a photo-detector (PD) along a rectangular trajectory once, and then the program will automatically estimate the required parameters by analyzing the RSS during this period. Experimental results show a good stability of the calibrated parameters, as well as a excellent distance measuring accuracy within 12 cm. And the entire processes, including signal collection and processing, only take a total of no more than four minutes.