Centimetre-Level Positioning for Indoor Vehicle Testing

The IPS Indoor Positioning System enables accurate vehicle position measurement in indoor facilities where GNSS reception is unavailable.

Developed in cooperation with Racelogic, IPS allows ADAS, vehicle dynamics and crash testing to be performed under controlled and repeatable environmental conditions.

The system uses a network of stand-alone ultra-wideband, UWB, beacons installed around the test area. A receiver mounted on the vehicle communicates with the beacons and calculates its position through trilateration.

Beacon positions can be measured using a handheld laser or total station for maximum accuracy. A faster self-survey option is also available where reduced positioning accuracy is acceptable. Battery-powered beacons enable rapid and flexible installation.

A dedicated GeneSys interface integrates IPS with existing ADMA systems. The resulting ADMA position-data output corresponds to operation with an RTK2 GNSS configuration.

Applications

• Indoor ADAS and vehicle dynamics testing
• Validation of camera, radar and LiDAR-based safety functions
• Complete-vehicle and component crash testing
• Continuous crash testing, including the pre-crash phase
• Tyre testing
• Connected vehicle-safety systems and V2X
• Adaptive Forward Lighting development and validation
• Testing under controlled environmental conditions

Key Features

• Centimetre-level positioning without continuous GNSS reception
• Real-time 3D position and attitude measurement at up to 1,000 Hz
• Data latency below 1 ms
• Compatible with existing ADMA systems, depending on hardware version
• Simultaneous operation with up to five vehicles
• Compatible with major steering-robot systems
• Portable, battery-powered and quick to install
• No complex initialisation procedures
• Up to 250 beacons per test site
• GNSS used for time synchronisation

Beacon Installation and Accuracy

Beacon positions can be surveyed using:

• Handheld laser or total station: Position accuracy better than 2 cm
• Automatic self-survey: Typical position accuracy between 5 and 10 cm

The accuracy of the vehicle-position measurement depends directly on the accuracy of the surveyed beacon positions.

Complete IPS and ADMA System

Performance values were measured using an ADMA-G-PRO+ and compared with an ADMA-G-PRO+ RTK2 reference. Antennas were positioned 2 m above the ground with an unobstructed line of sight. Walls, objects, reflections and other environmental conditions may affect measurement performance.

Rover and Beacon Technical Data