Localization and tracking of electronic devices with their unintended emissions

The precise localization and tracking of electronic devices via their unintended emissions has a broad range of commercial and security applications. Active stimulation of the receivers of such devices with a known signal generates very low power unintended emissions. This dissertation presents localization and tracking of multiple devices using both simulation and experimental data in the form of five papers. First the localization of multiple emitting devices through active stimulation under multipath fading with a Smooth MUSIC based scheme in the near field region is presented. Spatial smoothing helps to separate the correlated sources and the multipath fading and results confirm improved accuracy. A cost effective near-field localization method is proposed next to locate multiple correlated unintended emitting devices under colored noise conditions using two well separated antenna arrays since colored noise in the environment degrades the subspace-based localization techniques. Subsequently, in order to track moving sources, a near-field scheme by using array output is introduced to monitor direction of arrival (DOA) and the distance between the antenna array and the moving source. The array output, which is a nonlinear function of DOA and distance information, is employed in the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). In order to show the near- and far-field effect on estimation accuracy, computer simulation results are included for localization and tracking techniques. Finally, an L-shaped array is constructed and a suite of schemes are introduced for localization and tracking of such devices in the three-dimensional environment. Experimental results for localization and tracking of unintended emissions from single and multiple devices in the near-field environment of an antenna array are demonstrated --Abstract, page iv

Power-Based Direction-of-Arrival Estimation Using a Single Multi-Mode Antenna

Phased antenna arrays are widely used for direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation. For low-cost applications, signal power or received signal strength indicator (RSSI) based approaches can be an alternative. However, they usually require multiple antennas, a single antenna that can be rotated, or switchable antenna beams. In this paper we show how a multi-mode antenna (MMA) can be used for power-based DoA estimation. Only a single MMA is needed and neither rotation nor switching of antenna beams is required. We derive an estimation scheme as well as theoretical bounds and validate them through simulations. It is found that power-based DoA estimation with an MMA is feasible and accurate

Analysis of microstrip antennas by multilevel matrix decomposition algorithm

Integral equation methods (IE) are widely used in conjunction with Method of Moments (MoM) discretization for the numerical analysis of microstrip antennas. However, their application to large antenna arrays is difficult due to the fact that the computational requirements increase rapidly with the number of unknowns N. Several techniques have been proposed to reduce the computational cost of IE-MoM. The Multilevel Matrix Decomposition Algorithm (MLMDA) has been implemented in 3D for arbitrary perfectly conducting surfaces discretized in Rao, Wilton and Glisson linear triangle basis functions . This algorithm requires an operation count that is proportional to N·log2N. The performance of the algorithm is much better for planar or piece-wise planar objects than for general 3D problems, which makes the algorithm particularly well-suited for the analysis of microstrip antennas. The memory requirements are proportional to N·logN and very low. The main advantage of the MLMDA compared with other efficient techniques to solve integral equations is that it does not rely on specific mathematical properties of the Green's functions being used. Thus, we can apply the method to interesting configurations governed by special Green's functions like multilayered media. In fact, the MDA-MLMDA method can be used at the top of any existing MoM code. In this paper we present the application to the analysis of large printed antenna arrays.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

A Cramér-Rao bounds based analysis of 3D antenna array geometries made from ULA branches

International audienceIn the context of passive sources localization using antenna array, the estimation accuracy of elevation, and azimuth are related not only to the kind of estimator which is used, but also to the geometry of the considered antenna array. Although there are several available results on the linear array, and also for planar arrays, other geometries existing in the literature, such as 3D arrays, have been less studied. In this paper, we study the impact of the geometry of a family of 3D models of antenna array on the estimation performance of elevation, and azimuth. The Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB), which is widely spread in signal processing to characterize the estimation performance will be used here as a useful tool to find the optimal configuration. In particular, we give closed-form expressions of CRB for a 3D antenna array under both conditional, and unconditional observation models. Thanks to these explicit expressions, the impact of the third dimension to the estimation performance is analyzed. Particularly, we give criterions to design an isotropic 3D array depending on the considered observation model. Several 3D particular geometry antennas made from uniform linear array (ULA) are analyzed, and compared with 2D antenna arrays. The isotropy condition of such arrays is analyzed. The presented framework can be used for further studies of other types of arrays

Spatial Identification Methods and Systems for RFID Tags

Disertační práce je zaměřena na metody a systémy pro měření vzdálenosti a lokalizaci RFID tagů pracujících v pásmu UHF. Úvod je věnován popisu současného stavu vědeckého poznání v oblasti RFID prostorové identifikace a stručnému shrnutí problematiky modelování a návrhu prototypů těchto systémů. Po specifikaci cílů disertace pokračuje práce popisem teorie modelování degenerovaného kanálu pro RFID komunikaci. Detailně jsou rozebrány metody měření vzdálenosti a odhadu směru příchodu signálu založené na zpracování fázové informace. Pro účely lokalizace je navrženo několik scénářů rozmístění antén. Modely degenerovaného kanálu jsou simulovány v systému MATLAB. Významná část této práce je věnována konceptu softwarově definovaného rádia (SDR) a specifikům jeho adaptace na UHF RFID, která využití běžných SDR systémů značně omezují. Diskutována je zejména problematika průniku nosné vysílače do přijímací cesty a požadavky na signál lokálního oscilátoru používaný pro směšování. Prezentovány jsou tři vyvinuté prototypy: experimentální dotazovač EXIN-1, měřicí systém založený na platformě Ettus USRP a anténní přepínací matice pro emulaci SIMO systému. Závěrečná část je zaměřena na testování a zhodnocení popisovaných lokalizačních technik, založených na měření komplexní přenosové funkce RFID kanálu. Popisuje úzkopásmové/širokopásmové měření vzdálenosti a metody odhadu směru signálu. Oba navržené scénáře rozmístění antén jsou v závěru ověřeny lokalizačním měřením v reálných podmínkách.The doctoral thesis is focused on methods and systems for ranging and localization of RFID tags operating in the UHF band. It begins with a description of the state of the art in the field of RFID positioning with short extension to the area of modeling and prototyping of such systems. After a brief specification of dissertation objectives, the thesis overviews the theory of degenerate channel modeling for RFID communication. Details are given about phase-based ranging and direction of arrival finding methods. Several antenna placement scenarios are proposed for localization purposes. The degenerate channel models are simulated in MATLAB. A significant part of the thesis is devoted to software defined radio (SDR) concept and its adaptation for UHF RFID operation, as it has its specialties which make the usage of standard SDR test equipment very disputable. Transmit carrier leakage into receiver path and requirements on local oscillator signals for mixing are discussed. The development of three experimental prototypes is also presented there: experimental interrogator EXIN-1, measurement system based on Ettus USRP platform, and antenna switching matrix for an emulation of SIMO system. The final part is focused on testing and evaluation of described positioning techniques based on complex backscatter channel transfer function measurement. Both narrowband/wideband ranging and direction of arrival methods are validated. Finally, both proposed antenna placement scenarios are evaluated with real-world measurements.

Array signal processing for source localization and enhancement

“A common approach to the wide-band microphone array problem is to assume a certain array geometry and then design optimal weights (often in subbands) to meet a set of desired criteria. In addition to weights, we consider the geometry of the microphone arrangement to be part of the optimization problem. Our approach is to use particle swarm optimization (PSO) to search for the optimal geometry while using an optimal weight design to design the weights for each particle’s geometry. The resulting directivity indices (DI’s) and white noise SNR gains (WNG’s) form the basis of the PSO’s fitness function. Another important consideration in the optimal weight design are several regularization parameters. By including those parameters in the particles, we optimize their values as well in the operation of the PSO. The proposed method allows the user great flexibility in specifying desired DI’s and WNG’s over frequency by virtue of the PSO fitness function. Although the above method discusses beam and nulls steering for fixed locations, in real time scenarios, it requires us to estimate the source positions to steer the beam position adaptively. We also investigate source localization of sound and RF sources using machine learning techniques. As for the RF source localization, we consider radio frequency identification (RFID) antenna tags. Using a planar RFID antenna array with beam steering capability and using received signal strength indicator (RSSI) value captured for each beam position, the position of each RFID antenna tag is estimated. The proposed approach is also shown to perform well under various challenging scenarios”--Abstract, page iv