Maximum likelihood position estimation in ad-hoc networks using a dead reckoning approach

Classical multilateration techniques for position estimation assume direct connectivity between land-reference nodes with known fixed locations and a node whose location we want to estimate so that range, and angle of arrival estimates can be readily obtained using channel observations. In the case of Ad-Hoc networking a mobile node may not have direct connectivity to any or some land-reference nodes and these multilateration techniques will be difficult to apply. This work uses a dead reckoning approach to derive a multihop maximum likelihood multilateration scheme based on connectivity between several land-reference nodes and a node of interest via multiple intermediate links. Performance of the proposed location estimation scheme is analyzed, via simulations, with respect to the number of available reference nodes, time and angle of arrival estimation accuracy at each node, node transmission range, and node density in the network. The algorithm is shown to outperform linearized multilateration techniques and to become insensitive to knowledge of nuisance parameters as the number of available land-references increases.