Indoor Positioning using Smartphones: An Improved Time-of-Arrival Technique

Authors

  • Thang C. Vu Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology
  • Trung H. Nguyen Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology
  • Mui D. Nguyen Thai Nguyen University of Technology
  • Dung T. Nguyen Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology
  • Tao V. Nguyen Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology
  • Long Q. Dinh Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology
  • Minh T. Nguyen Thai Nguyen University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62411/jcta.13305

Keywords:

Indoor Positioning, Smartphone, Time of Arrival, MUSIC Algorithm, Pedestrian Dead Reckoning, Kalman Filter, Sensor Fusion, Signal to Noise Ratio

Abstract

Indoor positioning technology based on smartphones plays an important role in the current technological development context. Especially in applications such as warehouses, supermarkets, hospitals, or buildings. While the global positioning system (GNSS) is popular and effective outdoors, it has several limitations when operating in enclosed spaces, such as indoors, due to the complexity of these environments. Smartphones have many built-in sensors (such as light sensors, sound sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and magnetic sensors) and support the connection of various types of wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. However, such sensors were not initially developed for positioning applications. This study addresses the positioning problem using the MUSIC technique in conjunction with the Time of Arrival (ToA) method. The effectiveness of the positioning solution is evaluated through the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) index. The absolute error and squared error indices are evaluated through the cumulative distribution function (CDF) to indicate the effectiveness of the proposed solution. Additionally, we propose a Pedestrian Dead Reckoning method to determine a person's position in indoor environments continuously. Based on the segmentation of the moving process by turns, the direction measurements in each segment are processed using a Kalman filter, which is designed to enhance the results achieved by the system. We also discuss the challenges and some future research directions in the field of smartphone-based indoor positioning.

Author Biographies

Thang C. Vu, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology

Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000, Viet Nam

Trung H. Nguyen, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology

Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000, Viet Nam

Mui D. Nguyen, Thai Nguyen University of Technology

Department of Electrical Engineering, Thai Nguyen University of Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000,  Viet Nam

Dung T. Nguyen, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology

Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000, Viet Nam

Tao V. Nguyen, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology

Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000, Viet Nam

Long Q. Dinh, Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology

Thai Nguyen University of Information and Communication Technology, Thai Nguyen 24000, Viet Nam

Minh T. Nguyen, Thai Nguyen University of Technology

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Minh T. Nguyen is currently the director of International Training and Cooperation Center at Thai Nguyen University of Technology, Vietnam, and also the director of Advanced Wireless Communication Networks (AWCN) lab. He has interest and expertise in a variety of research topics in the communications, networking, and signal processing areas, especially compressive sensing, and wireless/mobile sensor networks. He serves as a technical reviewer for several prestigious journals and international conferences. He also serves as an editor for wireless communication and mobile computing journal and as editor in chief for ICSES transactions on computer networks and communications. He is in Stanford's 2023 list of World Top 2% scientists. He can be contacted at email: nguyentuanminh@tnut.edu.vn.

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Published

2025-07-22

How to Cite

Vu, T. C., Nguyen, T. H., Nguyen, M. D., Nguyen, D. T., Nguyen, T. V., Dinh, L. Q., & Nguyen, M. T. (2025). Indoor Positioning using Smartphones: An Improved Time-of-Arrival Technique . Journal of Computing Theories and Applications, 3(1), 64–75. https://doi.org/10.62411/jcta.13305

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Vol. 3 No. 1 (2025): JCTA 3(1) 2025 - in progress

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Thang C. Vu, Trung H. Nguyen, Mui D. Nguyen, Dung T. Nguyen, Tao V. Nguyen, Long Q. Dinh, Minh T. Nguyen

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