A Markov Model for Dynamic Behavior of Toa-Based Ranging in Indoor Localization

The existence of undetected direct path ( UDP) conditions causes occurrence of unexpected large random ranging errors which pose a serious challenge to precise indoor localization using time of arrival ( ToA). Therefore, analysis of the behavior of the ranging error is essential for the design of precise ToA-based indoor localization systems. In this paper, we propose a novel analytical framework for the analysis of the dynamic spatial variations of ranging error observed by a mobile user based on an application of Markov chain. the model relegates the behavior of ranging error into four main categories associated with four states of the Markov process. the parameters of distributions of ranging error in each Markov state are extracted from empirical data collected from a measurement calibrated ray tracing ( RT) algorithm simulating a typical office environment. the analytical derivation of parameters of the Markov model employs the existing path loss models for the first detected path and total multipath received power in the same office environment. Results of simulated errors from the Markov model and actual errors from empirical data show close agreement

Using Smartphone Sensors for Localization in BAN

Nowadays, various sensors are embedded in smartphone, making it a great candidate for localization applications. In this chapter, we explored and listed the localization sensors in smartphone, their characteristics, platforms, coordinate system and how they can be used in BAN. These sensors can be roughly divided into three types: physical IMU sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer), virtual IMU (gravity, step counter and electronic compass) and the environmental sensors (barometer, proximity and other miscellaneous). By applying different mathematical methods, the location of the target or the users can be calculated and used for further use, such as navigation, healthcare or military purpose

A hardware platform for performance evaluation of in-body sensors

Abstract — Body area network is expected to be the next breakthrough invention with great potential due to miniaturization of wireless communication devices. One of the major challenges for design of sensor devices for wireless communications inside human body is the accessibility of the medium for performance evaluation. It is practically impossible to install a development module for a sensor inside the human body and when the sensor designed we need expensive procedure with physician supervisions to examine the performance of the sensors. In this paper, we introduce an interference controllable, repeatable real-time hardware platform for performance evaluation of a typical in-body sensor chipset used in most implant applications (Zarlink ZL70101 ADK operating at 402-405 MHz) utilizing an existing multipath channel emulator (Elektrobit PROPSimT

Cooperative Localization Bounds for Indoor Ultra-Wideband Wireless Sensor Networks

In recent years there has been growing interest in ad-hoc and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) for a variety of indoor applications. Localization information in these networks is an enabling technology and in some applications it is the main sought after parameter. The cooperative localization performance of WSNs is constrained by the behavior of the utilized ranging technology in dense cluttered indoor environments. Recently, ultra-wideband (UWB) Time-of-Arrival (TOA) based ranging has exhibited potential due to its large bandwidth and high time resolution. The performance of its ranging and cooperative localization capabilities in dense indoor multipath environments, however, needs to be further investigated. Of main concern is the high probability of non-line of sight (NLOS) and Direct Path (DP) blockage between sensor nodes which biases the TOA estimation and degrades the localization performance. In this paper, based on empirical models of UWB TOA-based Outdoor-to-Indoor (OTI) and Indoor-to-Indoor (ITI) ranging, we derive and analyze cooperative localization bounds for WSNs in different indoor multipath environments: residential, manufacturing floor, old office and modern office buildings. First, we highlight the need for cooperative localization in indoor applications. Then we provide comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting localization accuracy such as network and ranging model parameters