Indoor localization system based on galvanometer-laser-scanning for numerous mobile tags (GaLocate)

Precise indoor localization of robots in intra-logistic areas is of significant value in modern production. For this scenario we developed a pure optical localization system, consisting of a laser scanner and numerous mobile tags mountable on robots. The scanner searches and follows the mobile tags in the production hall continually. The tags receive the laser beam and determine their position with respect to the scanner. By the solid angel of laser beam deflection (angle of arrival) and separate infrared communication the position is generated. The system is full multi-target capable at low price for each tag. Furthermore, the data are directly available on the mobile tag. In this paper we describe the key components and algorithms of our localization system. We measured the scanning performance and maximum range of the optic components to optimize the first prototype.