Optimal sensor pairing for TDOA based source localization in sensor networks

Source localization based on time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) measurements from spatially separated sensors is an important problem in radar and sensor networks. While extensive research works have been performed on algorithm development, limited attention has been paid in sensor geometry design. Hence, in this paper, we study the optimal sensor placement for TDOA based source localization problem under two types of sensor pairing: centralized and decentralized. The optimal sensor-target geometries are derived in both static and dynamic source localization scenarios. The Cramer-Rao Bound (CRB) and posterior error covariance are utilized as the estimate accuracy metrics for these two scenarios respectively. Some examples are given to show the optimal sensor formations.