Design of Entry Detection Method for Top-Bounded Spaces Using GPS SNR and Spatial Characteristics for Seamless Positioning in Logistics Facilities

Abstract

With the widespread use of indoor positioning technology, various services based on this technology are beginning to be offered to consumers and industrial applications. In the case of logistics facilities, in addition to indoor and outdoor spaces, there are top-bounded spaces (TBSs): elongated areas that are covered with roofs or eaves on the upper parts of buildings. The sides of such spaces are open, and workers and forklifts work in these areas. Only a few studies have been conducted on positioning methods for this unusual environment, and the way by which Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of Global Positioning System (GPS) changes with the stay in TBSs is unclear. Therefore, we conducted preliminary experiments and confirmed that TBS dwellings are difficult to stably detect with existing methods due to the combination of satellites with variable and unchanged SNRs. In this study, we designed a simple processing flow for selecting satellites with high probabilities of changing SNRs by using the spatial characteristics of TBSs as parameters (height, depth, and side opening orientation). We propose a method to detect the stay in TBSs using the SNR change rates of the selected satellites. As a result of evaluation experiments with three TBSs, we successfully detected the stay in TBSs with about 30% higher probability than those of an existing method.