A distributed spring model algorithm for sensor localization using dimension expansion and hyperbolic tangential force

This paper proposes two improvements of the spring model algorithm for solving localization problems in a wireless sensor network with anchors. First, the two-dimensional localization problem is solved in three-dimensional space. This “dimension expansion” can effectively prevent the spring model algorithm from falling into local minima. Second, the Hooke spring force (linear) is replaced by hyperbolic tangential force (a continuous function that emulates the sign function). This significantly improves the robustness of the algorithm in the presence of multiplicative noise. The efficacy of these two techniques are demonstrated by several simulations, especially in a scenario with anchor points of longer broadcasting radius than other sensors.