Innovative Methods for Geolocation and Communication with Ultra-Wideband Mobile Radio Networks

Geolocation capability is a critical component of wireless systems for public safety, military, and homeland security. Traditional geolocation systems based on GPS and narrowband modulations work well in areas where a direct line of sight (DLOS) path from multiple sources exist. However, these systems become unreliabile for indoor and urban environments that are characterized by low signal level and severe multipath conditions. This inhibits the ability to accurately detect the time of arrival (TOA) of the DLOS path between transceivers. For TOA measurements, an error in the detection of the DLOS path results in error of the position estimate. These position errors prevent traditional geolocation systems from achieving the location accuracy and system reliability required for military and homeland security applications. Innovative Wireless Technologies (IWT) is proposing an ultra-wideband (UWB) system. The project will combine IWT's existing knowledge in ad-hoc UWB communications networks and hardware prototyping with industry leading research in indoor positioning to develop innovative geolocation algorithms that take advantage of the multipath-resistant characteristics of pulse-based UWB. System requirements and architecture will be evaluated and innovative geolocation algorithms developed. Tradeoffs between the number of nodes in a network and location accuracy will be determined through propagation channel measurement and characterization.