Optimal sensor placement for time difference of arrival localization

— This paper addresses the problem of localizing a source from noisy time-of-arrival measurements. In particular, we are interested in the optimal placement of M planar sensors so as to yield the best expected source location estimate. The main result, on maximizing the expected determinant of the Fisher information matrix for truncated, radially-symmetric source distributions, shows two features not previously observed. First, sensors should be placed as far from the expected source position as possible. Second, sensors should be arranged in a splay configuration in which neighboring sensors are separated by equal angle increments. Specific examples are given for point, uniform, and truncated-Gaussian source density functions.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2009
• Where: CDC
• Authors: Jason T. Isaacs, Daniel J. Klein, João Pedro Hespanha
• Keywords: CDC 2009, Control Systems, Noisy Time-of-arrival Measurements, Radially-symmetric Source Distributions, Sensors