Indoor IR azimuth sensor using a linear polarizer

We propose an Infrared-Ray (IR) type azimuth sensor system for use in indoor environments. The feature of this sensor is an adequate conic-shaped linear polarizer film. Because of the drift in the sensor, azimuth information provided by the angular velocity sensor (gyroscope) is unreliable. It is not currently possible, in virtually any indoor environment like an office or factory, to use geomagnetism to detect the existence of iron-based furniture or reinforced concrete. Our sensor system can recognize a position measured from the non-drift azimuth information based on the installation of only one landmark. We created a prototype of the sensor based on this concept and discuss the sensing properties, as indicated by experimental results.