Indoor localization for multi-wall, multi-floor environments in wireless sensor networks

초록

In recent years, importance of indoor localization has increased in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Extremely complex nature of the indoor environments makes WSN research more difficult than in the outdoor counterparts. In WSNs, the Received Signal Strength (RSS) from sensors is usually utilized to locate unknown sensors or nodes. However, the RSS is relatively sensitive to indoor obstructions such as walls and ceilings between adjacent floors. Various indoor localization algorithms are available, but most are not suitable because of the complex indoor environments. This paper proposes a novel localization scheme which uses vertical allocation of beacon sensors to estimate floor attenuation and wall attenuation. These two parameters are then used to identify the floor number and to estimate the horizontal localization of an unknown node, respectively. Simulation results show that both schemes provide accurate localization performance. Copyright © 2013 IARIA.