Improved weighting algorithm for NLOS radiolocation

Non-Line-of-Sight (NLOS) propagation is a major problem facing accurate radiolocation using Time-of-Arrival (TOA) measurements in wireless communication systems. Weighting is among the important NLOS mitigation approaches whereby the system attempts to localize with both Line-of-Sight (LOS) and NLOS measurements, but provides scaling to minimize the effects of the NLOS contributions. In this paper, we present an improved weighting location algorithm that utilizes the geometrical feature of cell layout and TOA range measurements from three base stations (BSs). The MS location is estimated using weighted ranges that produce special points, called potential points. Simulations studying the performance of the proposed algorithm for different NLOS error models show that the proposed algorithm performance is notably better than traditional algorithms, even under highly NLOS conditions.