title: A Novel 3D Multilateration Sensor Using Distributed Ultrasonic Beacons for Indoor Navigation.
abstract: Navigation and guidance systems are a critical part of any autonomous vehicle. In this paper, a novel sensor grid using 40 KHz ultrasonic transmitters is presented for adoption in indoor 3D positioning applications. In the proposed technique, a vehicle measures the arrival time of incoming ultrasonic signals and calculates the position without broadcasting to the grid. This system allows for conducting silent or covert operations and can also be used for the simultaneous navigation of a large number of vehicles. The transmitters and receivers employed are first described. Transmission lobe patterns and receiver directionality determine the geometry of transmitter clusters. Range and accuracy of measurements dictate the number of sensors required to navigate in a given volume. Laboratory experiments were performed in which a small array of transmitters was set up and the sensor system was tested for position accuracy. The prototype system is shown to have a 1-sigma position error of about 16 cm, with errors between 7 and 11 cm in the local horizontal coordinates. This research work provides foundations for the future development of ultrasonic navigation sensors for a variety of autonomous vehicle applications.
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Aerospace and Aviation Discipline Melbourne, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. s3572380@student.rmit.adu.au.
authors.forename: Rohan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kapoor
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Aerospace and Aviation Discipline Melbourne, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. subramanian.ramasamy@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Subramanian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ramasamy
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Aerospace and Aviation Discipline Melbourne, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. alessandro.gardi@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gardi
authors.affiliation: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. cbieber@ida.org.
authors.forename: Chad
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bieber
authors.affiliation: Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. lmsilver@ncsu.edu.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silverberg
authors.affiliation: School of Engineering, RMIT University, Aerospace and Aviation Discipline Melbourne, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia. roberto.sabatini@rmit.edu.au.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sabatini
keywords: distributed sensing; navigation; overdetermined system; trilateration; ultrasonics