Hyperbolic Positioning with Antenna Arrays and Multi-Channel Pseudolite for Indoor Localization

Area of Science:

• Navigation Systems
• Geodesy
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Conventional pseudolite systems face challenges in indoor positioning accuracy.
• Existing methods struggle with the geometric relationship between transmitters and receivers.
• Carrier-phase difference observables are susceptible to significant bias errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel hyperbolic positioning method using antenna arrays and multi-channel pseudolites for enhanced indoor positioning.
• To experimentally evaluate the positioning accuracy and identify error sources.
• To assess the feasibility of three-dimensional positioning and initial value convergence for non-linear least squares methods.

Main Methods:

• A hyperbolic positioning method utilizing proximately-located antennas and a multi-channel pseudolite.
• Two-dimensional positioning experiments with actual devices.
• Computer simulations for three-dimensional positioning performance evaluation based on inverse-calculated bias errors.
• Analysis of initial value convergence for non-linear least squares in 3D scenarios.

Main Results:

• Positioning accuracy in experiments varied from centimeter to meter levels, dependent on geometric configurations.
• Bias error in carrier-phase difference observables was found to be more significant than random error.
• Computer simulations indicated that appropriate initial values for non-linear least squares can converge to the correct position in 3D.
• The proposed simulation and evaluation methods are adaptable to diverse antenna setups.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hyperbolic positioning method offers a viable solution for indoor positioning challenges.
• Understanding and mitigating bias errors in carrier-phase observables is crucial for accurate positioning.
• The developed evaluation framework allows for pre-installation prediction of positioning performance.
• This research provides a foundation for optimizing antenna configurations in pseudolite-based positioning systems.