Node localization and tracking using distance and acceleration measurements

Advances in miniaturized wireless and sensing technologies have enabled the construction of cheap, low-powered, portable wireless devices capable of forming ad hoc networks. While these networks have shown enormous potential in applications such as remote sensing and target tracking, these applications require the devices to determine their own location. Additionally, devices capable of self-localization can also be used to implement location-based services or to improve coordination between first-responders to disaster sites or infantry in tactical situations. Existing techniques such as GPS may not be available due to design or environmental constraints, so other methods need to be devised. Previous works have proposed methods for wireless devices to self-localize based on received signal strength (RSS), but these methods offer limited accuracy due to the large error in RSS measurements. Recognizing the trend for these portable wireless devices to contain acceleration sensors, we propose an algorithm to combine these acceleration measurements with RSS readings to achieve accurate localization. We apply a distributed extended Kalman filter to track position based on these two measurements and a kinematic node movement model. This algorithm is able to take advantage of correlations between successive location estimates to improve estimation accuracy. We calculate the posterior Cramér-Rao bound for this algorithm and analyze it through simulation. Our analysis shows that by utilizing the acceleration information, the network is able to self-localize despite the large inaccuracy in RSS readings.