Accurate and Robust Indoor Localization Systems using Ultra-wideband Signals

TL;DR

This paper compares traditional and multipath-assisted indoor localization methods, demonstrating that MINT significantly improves accuracy and robustness in NLOS conditions across various bandwidths.

Contribution

The paper introduces and evaluates MINT, a multipath-assisted indoor navigation system that outperforms conventional ranging algorithms in NLOS environments.

Findings

MINT maintains high accuracy under NLOS conditions.

Conventional schemes degrade significantly without large bandwidths.

MINT's robustness is consistent across different bandwidths.

Abstract

Indoor localization systems that are accurate and robust with respect to propagation channel conditions are still a technical challenge today. In particular, for systems based on range measurements from radio signals, non-line-of-sight (NLOS) situations can result in large position errors. In this paper, we address these issues using measurements in a representative indoor environment. Results show that conventional tracking schemes using high- and a low-complexity ranging algorithms are strongly impaired by NLOS conditions unless a very large signal bandwidth is used. Furthermore, we discuss and evaluate the performance of multipath-assisted indoor navigation and tracking (MINT), that can overcome these impairments by making use of multipath propagation. Across a wide range of bandwidths, MINT shows superior performance compared to conventional schemes, and virtually no degradation in its robustness due to NLOS conditions.