Environmental Cross-Validation of NLOS Machine Learning Classification/Mitigation with Low-Cost UWB Positioning Systems

[Abstract] Indoor positioning systems based on radio frequency inherently present multipath-related phenomena. This causes ranging systems such as ultra-wideband (UWB) to lose accuracy when detecting secondary propagation paths between two devices. If a positioning algorithm uses ranging measurements without considering these phenomena, it will face critical errors in estimating the position. This work analyzes the performance obtained in a localization system when combining location algorithms with machine learning techniques applied to a previous classification and mitigation of the propagation effects. For this purpose, real-world cross-scenarios are considered, where the data extracted from low-cost UWB devices for training the algorithms come from a scenario different from that considered for the test. The experimental results reveal that machine learning (ML) techniques are suitable for detecting non-line-of-sight (NLOS) ranging values in this situation.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2016-045Xunta de Galicia; ED431G/01Agencia Estatal de Investigación de España; TEC2016-75067-C4-1-

Recent Advances in Indoor Localization Systems and Technologies

Despite the enormous technical progress seen in the past few years, the maturity of indoor localization technologies has not yet reached the level of GNSS solutions. The 23 selected papers in this book present the recent advances and new developments in indoor localization systems and technologies, propose novel or improved methods with increased performance, provide insight into various aspects of quality control, and also introduce some unorthodox positioning methods

WiFi Access Points Line-of-Sight Detection for Indoor Positioning Using the Signal Round Trip Time

The emerging WiFi Round Trip Time measured by the IEEE 802.11mc standard promised sub-meter-level accuracy for WiFi-based indoor positioning systems, under the assumption of an ideal line-of-sight path to the user. However, most workplaces with furniture and complex interiors cause the wireless signals to reflect, attenuate, and diffract in different directions. Therefore, detecting the non-line-of-sight condition of WiFi Access Points is crucial for enhancing the performance of indoor positioning systems. To this end, we propose a novel feature selection algorithm for non-line-of-sight identification of the WiFi Access Points. Using the WiFi Received Signal Strength and Round Trip Time as inputs, our algorithm employs multi-scale selection and Machine Learning-based weighting methods to choose the most optimal feature sets. We evaluate the algorithm on a complex campus WiFi dataset to demonstrate a detection accuracy of 93% for all 13 Access Points using 34 out of 130 features and only 3 s of test samples at any given time. For individual Access Point line-of-sight identification, our algorithm achieved an accuracy of up to 98%. Finally, we make the dataset available publicly for further research

UWB Channel Impulse Responses for Positioning in Complex Environments: A Detailed Feature Analysis

Radio signal-based positioning in environments with complex propagation paths is a challenging task for classical positioning methods. For example, in a typical industrial environment, objects such as machines and workpieces cause reflections, diffractions, and absorptions, which are not taken into account by classical lateration methods and may lead to erroneous positions. Only a few data-driven methods developed in recent years can deal with these irregularities in the propagation paths or use them as additional information for positioning. These methods exploit the channel impulse responses (CIR) that are detected by ultra-wideband radio systems for positioning. These CIRs embed the signal properties of the underlying propagation paths that represent the environment. This article describes a feature-based localization approach that exploits machine-learning to derive characteristic information of the CIR signal for positioning. The approach is complete without highly time-synchronized receiver or arrival times. Various features were investigated based on signal propagation models for complex environments. These features were then assessed qualitatively based on their spatial relationship to objects and their contribution to a more accurate position estimation. Three datasets collected in environments of varying degrees of complexity were analyzed. The evaluation of the experiments showed that a clear relationship between the features and the environment indicates that features in complex propagation environments improve positional accuracy. A quantitative assessment of the features was made based on a hierarchical classification of stratified regions within the environment. Classification accuracies of over 90% could be achieved for region sizes of about 0.1 m 2 . An application-driven evaluation was made to distinguish between different screwing processes on a car door based on CIR measures. While in a static environment, even with a single infrastructure tag, nearly error-free classification could be achieved, the accuracy of changes in the environment decreases rapidly. To adapt to changes in the environment, the models were retrained with a small amount of CIR data. This increased performance considerably. The proposed approach results in highly accurate classification, even with a reduced infrastructure of one or two tags, and is easily adaptable to new environments. In addition, the approach does not require calibration or synchronization of the positioning system or the installation of a reference system

NLOS Identification and Mitigation Using Low-Cost UWB Devices

[Abstract] Indoor location systems based on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology have become very popular in recent years following the introduction of a number of low-cost devices on the market capable of providing accurate distance measurements. Although promising, UWB devices also suffer from the classic problems found when working in indoor scenarios, especially when there is no a clear line-of-sight (LOS) between the emitter and the receiver, causing the estimation error to increase up to several meters. In this work, machine learning (ML) techniques are employed to analyze several sets of real UWB measurements, captured in different scenarios, to try to identify the measurements facing non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation condition. Additionally, an ulterior process is carried out to mitigate the deviation of these measurements from the actual distance value between the devices. The results show that ML techniques are suitable to identify NLOS propagation conditions and also to mitigate the error of the estimates when there is LOS between the emitter and the receiver.Xunta de Galicia; ED431C 2016-045Xunta de Galicia; ED431G/01Agencia Estatal de Investigación de España; TEC2016-75067-C4-1-

A Review of Radio Frequency Based Localization for Aerial and Ground Robots with 5G Future Perspectives

Efficient localization plays a vital role in many modern applications of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV) and Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which would contribute to improved control, safety, power economy, etc. The ubiquitous 5G NR (New Radio) cellular network will provide new opportunities for enhancing localization of UAVs and UGVs. In this paper, we review the radio frequency (RF) based approaches for localization. We review the RF features that can be utilized for localization and investigate the current methods suitable for Unmanned vehicles under two general categories: range-based and fingerprinting. The existing state-of-the-art literature on RF-based localization for both UAVs and UGVs is examined, and the envisioned 5G NR for localization enhancement, and the future research direction are explored

RSS-based wireless LAN indoor localization and tracking using deep architectures

Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) positioning is a challenging task indoors due to environmental constraints and the unpredictable behavior of signal propagation, even at a fixed location. The aim of this work is to develop deep learning-based approaches for indoor localization and tracking by utilizing Received Signal Strength (RSS). The study proposes Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), One and Two Dimensional Convolutional Neural Networks (1D CNN and 2D CNN), and Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) deep networks architectures for WLAN indoor positioning based on the data obtained by actual RSS measurements from an existing WLAN infrastructure in a mobile user scenario. The results, using different types of deep architectures including MLP, CNNs, and LSTMs with existing WLAN algorithms, are presented. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is used as the assessment criterion. The proposed LSTM Model 2 achieved a dynamic positioning RMSE error of 1.73 m, which outperforms probabilistic WLAN algorithms such as Memoryless Positioning (RMSE: 10.35 m) and Nonparametric Information (NI) filter with variable acceleration (RMSE: 5.2 m) under the same experiment environment.ECSEL Joint Undertaking ; European Union's H2020 Framework Programme (H2020/2014-2020) Grant ; National Authority TUBITA