Three-Dimensional Localization of Active Aerial Targets Using a Single Terrestrial Receiver Site

Abstract

This paper proposes a method for the three-dimensional localization of an active aerial target by a single ground based sensor. The proposed method employs the time and frequency differences of arrival of the signal received directly from the aerial target and the signals received after being reflected from some large auxiliary terrestrial targets (pseudo-sensors) with known positions on the ground. Due to the terrestrial nature of the main and the pseudo sensors, it is impossible to solve for the target's altitude using traditional methods. The proposed method employs target motion analysis to obtain target position including its altitude with acceptable accuracy and low computational complexity. Presented simulations confirm acceptable accuracy of the proposed method in determining three dimensional position of the target despite limited number of the pseudo sensors and its low computational complexity.