1 research outputs found
Localization in mobile networks via virtual convex hulls
In this paper, we develop a \textit{distributed} algorithm to localize an
arbitrary number of agents moving in a bounded region of interest. We assume
that the network contains \textit{at least one} agent with known location
(hereinafter referred to as an anchor), and each agent measures a noisy version
of its motion and the distances to the nearby agents. We provide
a~\emph{geometric approach}, which allows each agent to: (i) continually update
the distances to the locations where it has exchanged information with the
other nodes in the past; and (ii) measure the distance between a neighbor and
any such locations. Based on this approach, we provide a \emph{linear update}
to find the locations of an arbitrary number of mobile agents when they follow
some convexity in their deployment and motion.
Since the agents are mobile, they may not be able to find nearby nodes
(agents and/or anchors) to implement a distributed algorithm. To address this
issue, we introduce the notion of a \emph{virtual convex hull} with the help of
the aforementioned geometric approach. In particular, each agent keeps track of
a virtual convex hull of other nodes, which may not physically exist, and
updates its location with respect to its neighbors in the virtual hull. We show
that the corresponding localization algorithm, in the absence of noise, can be
abstracted as a Linear Time-Varying (LTV) system, with non-deterministic system
matrices, which asymptotically tracks the true locations of the agents. We
provide simulations to verify the analytical results and evaluate the
performance of the algorithm in the presence of noise on the motion as well as
on the distance measurements