A Beacon-based Approach for RF Source localization in Outdoor NLOS Environment for Search and Rescue Missions

Due to its low implementation cost, the combination of the Received Signal Strength (RSS) with the Angle of Arrival (AOA) measurements is one of the solutions for Radio Frequency (RF) source localization, especially in a Non-Line of Sight (NLOS) environment. It is critical to determine the search space for a person who is lost in rural areas where the mobile network is unavailable due to a lack of Base Tower Stations (BTS) in order to reduce search time. In this paper, we introduce a new beacon-based approach for RF source localization, where the RF signal is received in NLOS after 1-bounce reflection, by combining the information coming from both the RSS-AOA sensors and the beacons, which are used as helpers- that move along a determined path. The proposed approach relies on determining the reflector’s pose first, after which the RF source is localized. The work has been verified in simulation and the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) is used as a performance metric for RF source localization. Results show that our proposed approach has the lowest RMSE among localization methods mentioned in the literature under the same conditions. HIGHLIGHTS A new beacon-based approach for RF source localization in Non-Line Of Sight (NLOS) condition A reflector’s pose is determined based on the signal received from beacons The reflector’s pose is used to determine the location of the RF source One bounce reflection is considered since the chance of receiving RF signal with more reflections is very low GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT