Asynchronous Hyperbolic UWB Source-Localization and Self-Localization for Indoor Tracking and Navigation

Hyperbolic localization measures the time difference of arrivals (TDOAs) of signals to determine the location of a wireless source or receiver. Traditional methods depend on precise clock synchronization between nodes so that time measurements from independent devices can be meaningfully compared. Imperfect synchronization is often the dominant source of error. We propose two new message based TDOA equations for hyperbolic localization which require no synchronization and meet or exceed state-of-the-art accuracy. Our approaches leverage anchor nodes that observe each other’s packet arrival times and a novel reformulation of the TDOA equation to reduce the effect of clock drift error. Closed-form equations are derived for computing TDOA in both self-localization and source-localization modes of operation along with bounds on maximum clock drift error. Three experiments are performed including a clock drift simulation, a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) simulation, and an indoor validation experiment on custom ultra wideband (UWB) hardware all of which involved eight anchor nodes and one localizing node in a 128m3 capture volume. Our source-localization approach achieved unprecedented accuracy with lower cost equipment and trivial setup. Our self-localization matched state-of-the art accuracy but with infinite scalability and high privacy. These results could enable economical and infinite density indoor navigation and dramatically reduce the economic cost and increase the accuracy of implementing industrial and commercial tracking applications.