A Weighted and Distributed Algorithm for Range-Based Multi-Hop Localization Using a Newton Method

Wireless sensor networks are used in many location-dependent applications. The location of sensor nodes is commonly carried out in a distributed way for energy saving and network robustness, where the handling of these characteristics is still a great challenge. It is very desirable that distributed algorithms invest as few iterations as possible with the highest accuracy on position estimates. This research proposes a range-based and robust localization method, derived from the Newton scheme, that can be applied over isotropic and anisotropic networks in presence of outliers in the pair-wise distance measurements. The algorithm minimizes the error of position estimates using a hop-weighted function and a scaling factor that allows a significant improvement on position estimates in only few iterations. Simulations demonstrate that our proposed algorithm outperforms other similar algorithms under anisotropic networks.