Localization of RF emitters using compressed sensing with multiple cooperative sensors

Abstract

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have limits on the weight and size of direction finding (DF) systems that can be used. However, by employing multiple sensors that work cooperatively, simple DF systems need only to provide a rough estimate of the signal's angle of arrival (AOA) and received signal strength (RSS). As the UAVs move, a plurality of data points can be obtained from diverse locations. Combining this information from multiple sensor locations can provide a low-cost and effective solution to electronic emitter location problems, using low-accuracy DF technology. In this paper we present an algorithm, based on the compressed sensing technique, that uses AOA and RSS from mobile sensors (UAVs) to geolocate the source of radio signals on the ground.