Positioning System Combining Multisensors Embedded in Smartphones and External GNSS Receivers

This study proposes a flexible multisensor positioning system that combines the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Inertial Navigation System, magnetometer, altimeter, and stereo camera constructed using two smartphones. In the proposed system, all sensors, except GNSS receivers, were embedded in smartphones. Compared with conventional simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) systems, the proposed system generates point-cloud coordinates with respect to the uniform global coordinate system without requiring the installation of additional landmarks at known locations. In addition, it is robust to variations in external lighting conditions and GNSS satellite visibility, because it combines various sensors with significantly different characteristics. Experiments showed that the proposed system generated global coordinates of the stereo camera and point clouds with improved accuracy and precision.