Magnetic field navigation in an indoor environment

Abstract

This paper describes a method that has been developed to aid an inertial navigation system when GNSS signals are not available, by taking advantage of the uniqueness of magnetic field variations. Most indoor environments have many different features (ferrous structural materials or contents, electrical currents, etc.) which perturb the Earths natural magnetic field. The variations in the magnetic field in indoor environments can be used as a way to identify a users position, and possibly orientation, because the 3-dimensional magnetic field varies significantly as a function of position. Using relatively inexpensive 3-axis magnetic field sensors, it is possible to estimate a users location in an indoor environment.