Range based algorithms for precise localization of terrestrial objects using a drone

Francesco Betti Sorbelli, Sajal K. Das, Cristina M. Pinotti, Simone Silvestri

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

In this paper we propose two algorithms, called DIR and OMNI, for precisely localizing terrestrial objects, or more simply sensors, using a drone. DIR is based on the observation that, by using directional antennas, it is possible to precisely localize terrestrial sensors just applying a single trilateration. We extend this approach to the case of a regular omnidirectional antenna and formulate the OMNI algorithm. Both DIR and OMNI plan a static path for the drone over the deployment area, which includes a set of waypoints where distance measurements between the drone and the sensors are taken. Differently from previously proposed best-effort approaches, our algorithms prove that a guaranteed precision can be achieved by considering a set of waypoints, for each sensor, that are at a distance above a certain threshold and that surround the sensor with a certain layout. We perform extensive simulations to validate the performance of our algorithms. Results show that both approaches provide a comparable localization precision, but DIR exhibits a shorter path compared to OMNI, being able to exploit the directional antennas.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)20-42
Number of pages23
JournalPervasive and Mobile Computing
Volume48
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The work has been partially supported by GEO-SAFE ( H2020-691161 ), “RISE” Fondazione CR-PG (code 2016.0104.021 ), “Project Static Path Planning for Drones to Secure Localization” granted by Fondo Ricerca di Base 2015 University of Perugia , the NATO Science for Peace and Security grant G4936 , NSF grant CNS-1545050 , and “ GNCS-INdAM ”.

Funding Information:
The work has been partially supported by GEO-SAFE (H2020-691161), “RISE” Fondazione CR-PG (code 2016.0104.021), “Project Static Path Planning for Drones to Secure Localization” granted by Fondo Ricerca di Base 2015 University of Perugia, the NATO Science for Peace and Security grant G4936, NSF grant CNS-1545050, and “GNCS-INdAM ”.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2018 Elsevier B.V.

Keywords

  • Directional antenna
  • Drones
  • IR-UWB
  • Localization precision
  • Omnidirectional antenna
  • Terrestrial localization

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Information Systems
  • Hardware and Architecture
  • Computer Science Applications
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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