Title: RF angle of arrival-based node localisation

Authors: Isaac Amundson, Janos Sallai, Xenofon Koutsoukos, Akos Ledeczi, Miklos Maroti

Addresses: Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. ' Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. ' Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. ' Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS), Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA. ' Bolyai Institute, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

Abstract: Several localisation algorithms exist for wireless sensor networks that use angle of arrival measurements to derive node position. However, there are limited options for actually obtaining the angle of arrival using resource-constrained devices. In this paper, we describe a technique for determining node bearings based on radio interferometric angle of arrival measurements from multiple anchor nodes to any number of target nodes at unknown positions. Least squares triangulation is then used to estimate node position. The position estimation is carried out by the node itself, hence the method is distributed, scalable, and fast. Furthermore, this technique does not require modification of the mote hardware because it relies only on the radio. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach can estimate node bearing with an average accuracy of 3°, and node position with sub-metre accuracy in approximately 1 s.

Keywords: wireless sensor networks; WSNs; node localisation; radio interferometry; RF angle of arrival; wireless networks; node bearings.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSNET.2011.040241

International Journal of Sensor Networks, 2011 Vol.9 No.3/4, pp.209 - 224

Published online: 22 May 2011 *

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