Novel Magnetic Dipole Localization Method Based on Normalized Source Strength

The scalar triangulation and ranging (STAR) method has broad application prospects in magnetic anomaly detection (MAD) due to its unique advantages of high real-time performance and insensitivity to high-mobility magnetic sensing platforms. However, the intrinsic asphericity error limits its performance for localization accuracy. This article introduces the normalized source strength (NSS) instead of tensor contraction and proposes a novel magnetic dipole localization method without asphericity error. First, an explicit closed-form localization formula is derived based on the NSS; then, to improve noise immunity, an objective function is constructed based on the relation between NSS and position parameters to optimize the linear localization results. To evaluate the localization effect of the method comprehensively and accurately, an omnidirectional simulation analysis model is established. The results demonstrate that the proposed method has high localization accuracy, high real-time performance, strong noise resistance, and is less affected by misalignment errors. Finally, the field experiments are conducted. Experimental results indicate that, at a detection distance of 2.11 m, the average localization error of the proposed method on the latitude trajectory is only 0.119 m, which is reduced by 40.8%, 17.9%, and 11.2% compared with the traditional STAR method, Wang’s STAR method (WSM), and Lin’s STAR method (LSM), respectively.