An efficient closed-form localization solution from time difference of arrival measurements

Closed-form solutions for locating a source based on time differences of arrival (TDOAs') of a signal to a number of spatially separated sensors are developed. The methods require only two least-squares minimization stages and are not iterative. The convergence and large computation problems associated with the conventional linear iterative solution can thus be eliminated. Position covariance matrices are shown to be identical to the Cramer-Rao lower bound when TDOA estimation error is small. Simulations are included to study the algorithms' performance and compare with existing techniques.<>