Adaptive Source Localization by Mobile Agents

The problem of source localization has assumed increased importance in recent years. Applications include locating the source of a cellular phone signal, sensor localization or satellite localization. In this paper we formulate a continuous time adaptive localization algorithm that permits a mobile agent to estimate the location of a stationary source using only the measured distance from the source. The algorithm is shown to be exponentially asymptotically stable, under a persistent excitation condition that has an intuitively appealing interpretation. Exponential asymptotic stability indicates the ability of the algorithm to track modest movements of the source