Residual based fault detection and exclusion methods applied to Ultra-Wideband navigation.

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has become the main technology in terms of navigation technologies, as it ensures a worldwide absolute outdoor positioning. The transportation sector employs this technology to obtain a position, velocity and time solution for the corresponding outdoor application. When talking about indoor positioning, nevertheless, GNSS becomes an unreliable navigation technology, as the below-noise signals get obstructed. In these cases, the Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology can be used as a navigation solution, as its anchor trilateration based radiofrequency positioning resembles GNSS's principle and, depending on the anchor location, it can be used for indoor positioning. However, just like other radiofrequency based technologies, UWB is vulnerable to interferences and the multipath effect. With the aim of overcoming these drawbacks, this article discusses how to apply Fault Detection and Exclusion (FDE) techniques to avoid using faulty anchors when employing UWB in indoor/urban environments such as tunnels or train stations.