Advanced TOA Estimation For Multipath Channels

Abstract

In this paper, estimation of time of arrival (TOA) in multipath environments is tackled as it is considered a real limiting factor in terrestrial and GNSS positioning systems. Novel methods are presented for designing novel near-causal filters and TOA-Matched Filters (TOA-MF) that facilitate estimation of the TOA. Near and far multipath are effectively reduced including in NLOS environments. Post application of the filter, a reduced complexity Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimation of the TOA is proposed. Simulations and field results confirm the efficiency of the proposed solution. This opens the door for optimized multi-technology approaches, which allows cost-effective and ultra-low-power solutions for accurate positioning.