74 research outputs found
Acoustical Ranging Techniques in Embedded Wireless Sensor Networked Devices
Location sensing provides endless opportunities for a wide range of applications in GPS-obstructed environments;
where, typically, there is a need for higher degree of accuracy. In this article, we focus on robust range
estimation, an important prerequisite for fine-grained localization. Motivated by the promise of acoustic in
delivering high ranging accuracy, we present the design, implementation and evaluation of acoustic (both
ultrasound and audible) ranging systems.We distill the limitations of acoustic ranging; and present efficient
signal designs and detection algorithms to overcome the challenges of coverage, range, accuracy/resolution,
tolerance to Doppler’s effect, and audible intensity. We evaluate our proposed techniques experimentally on
TWEET, a low-power platform purpose-built for acoustic ranging applications. Our experiments demonstrate
an operational range of 20 m (outdoor) and an average accuracy 2 cm in the ultrasound domain. Finally,
we present the design of an audible-range acoustic tracking service that encompasses the benefits of a near-inaudible
acoustic broadband chirp and approximately two times increase in Doppler tolerance to achieve better performance
RSSI-Based Self-Localization with Perturbed Anchor Positions
We consider the problem of self-localization by a resource-constrained mobile
node given perturbed anchor position information and distance estimates from
the anchor nodes. We consider normally-distributed noise in anchor position
information. The distance estimates are based on the log-normal shadowing
path-loss model for the RSSI measurements. The available solutions to this
problem are based on complex and iterative optimization techniques such as
semidefinite programming or second-order cone programming, which are not
suitable for resource-constrained environments. In this paper, we propose a
closed-form weighted least-squares solution. We calculate the weights by taking
into account the statistical properties of the perturbations in both RSSI and
anchor position information. We also estimate the bias of the proposed solution
and subtract it from the proposed solution. We evaluate the performance of the
proposed algorithm considering a set of arbitrary network topologies in
comparison to an existing algorithm that is based on a similar approach but
only accounts for perturbations in the RSSI measurements. We also compare the
results with the corresponding Cramer-Rao lower bound. Our experimental
evaluation shows that the proposed algorithm can substantially improve the
localization performance in terms of both root mean square error and bias.Comment: Accepted for publication in 28th Annual IEEE International Symposium
on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (IEEE PIMRC 2017
Multi-mode Tracking of a Group of Mobile Agents
We consider the problem of tracking a group of mobile nodes with limited
available computational and energy resources given noisy RSSI measurements and
position estimates from group members. The multilateration solutions are known
for energy efficiency. However, these solutions are not directly applicable to
dynamic grouping scenarios where neighbourhoods and resource availability may
frequently change. Existing algorithms such as cluster-based GPS duty-cycling,
individual-based tracking, and multilateration-based tracking can only
partially deal with the challenges of dynamic grouping scenarios. To cope with
these challenges in an effective manner, we propose a new group-based
multi-mode tracking algorithm. The proposed algorithm takes the topological
structure of the group as well as the availability of the resources into
consideration and decides the best solution at any particular time instance. We
consider a clustering approach where a cluster head coordinates the usage of
resources among the cluster members. We evaluate the energy-accuracy trade-off
of the proposed algorithm for various fixed sampling intervals. The evaluation
is based on the 2D position tracks of 40 nodes generated using Reynolds'
flocking model. For a given energy budget, the proposed algorithm reduces the
mean tracking error by up to in comparison to the existing
energy-efficient cooperative algorithms. Moreover, the proposed algorithm is as
accurate as the individual-based tracking while using almost half the energy.Comment: Accepted for publication in the 20th international symposium on
wireless personal multimedia communications (WPMC-2017
Optimal L\'{e}vy-flight foraging in a finite landscape
We present a simple model to study L\'{e}vy-flight foraging in a finite
landscape with countable targets. In our approach, foraging is a step-based
exploratory random search process with a power-law step-size distribution . We find that, when the termination is regulated by a finite
number of steps , the optimum value of that maximises the foraging
efficiency can vary substantially in the interval , depending on
the landscape features (landscape size and number of targets). We further
demonstrate that subjective returning can be another significant factor that
affects the foraging efficiency in such context. Our results suggest that
L\'{e}vy-flight foraging may arise through an interaction between the
environmental context and the termination of exploitation, and particularly
that the number of steps can play an important role in this scenario which is
overlooked by most previous work. Our study not only provides a new perspective
on L\'{e}vy-flight foraging, but also opens new avenues for investigating the
interaction between foraging dynamics and environment as well as offers a
realistic framework for analysing animal movement patterns from empirical data.Comment: 25 pages, 6 figure
Autonomous surveillance for biosecurity
The global movement of people and goods has increased the risk of biosecurity
threats and their potential to incur large economic, social, and environmental
costs. Conventional manual biosecurity surveillance methods are limited by
their scalability in space and time. This article focuses on autonomous
surveillance systems, comprising sensor networks, robots, and intelligent
algorithms, and their applicability to biosecurity threats. We discuss the
spatial and temporal attributes of autonomous surveillance technologies and map
them to three broad categories of biosecurity threat: (i) vector-borne
diseases; (ii) plant pests; and (iii) aquatic pests. Our discussion reveals a
broad range of opportunities to serve biosecurity needs through autonomous
surveillance.Comment: 26 pages, Trends in Biotechnology, 3 March 2015, ISSN 0167-7799,
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2015.01.003.
(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167779915000190
Akos L Edeczi, Andr As N Adas, P Eter V Olgyesi, Gy Orgy Balogh,
this article, in addition to the overall system architecture, the middleware services and the unique sensor fusion algorithms are described. An analysis of the experimental data gathered during field trials at US military facilities is also presente
Node-density independent localization
This paper presents an enhanced version of a novel radio interferometric positioning technique for node localization in wireless sensor networks that provides both high accuracy and long range simultaneously. The ranging method utilizes two transmitters emitting radio signals at almost the same frequencies. The relative location is estimated by measuring the relative phase offset of the generated interference signal at two receivers. Here, we analyze how the selection of carrier frequencies affects the precision and maximum range. Furthermore, we describe how the interplay of RF multipath and ground reflections degrades the ranging accuracy. To address these problems, we introduce a technique that continuously refines the range estimates as it converges to the localization solution. Finally, we present the results of a field experiment where our prototype achieved 4 cm average localization accuracy for a quasi-random deployment of 16 COTS motes covering the area of two football fields. The maximum range measured was 170 m, four times the observed communication range. Consequently, node deployment density is no longer constrained by the localization technique, but rather by the communication range
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