Optimization of receiver arrangements for passive emitter localization methods

► Receiver position optimization. ► Maximal resolution for emitter location estimate. ► High accuracy emitter localization with TDOA and PS measurements. ► Uncertainty analysis taking the emitted frequency into account. Passive localization of an object from its emission can be based on time difference of arrival or phase shift measurements for different receiver groups in sensor arrays. The accuracy of the localization primarily depends on accurate time and/or phase measurements. The frequency of the emission and the number and arrangement of the receivers mainly effect the resolution of the emitter localization. In this paper optimal receiver positions for passive localization methods are proposed, resulting in a maximal resolution for the emitter location estimate. The optimization is done by analyzing the uncertainty of the emitted signal, including its frequency. The technique has been developed specifically for ultrasound signals obtained from omnidirectional transducers, although the results apply for other application using passive localization techniques.