Single Beacon Cruise Positioning Algorithm in Wireless Sensor Networks

Node localization is important in WSNs (Wireless sensor networks) applications. We present a new cruise positioning algorithm, where a single beacon node cruises an entire network, broadcasting its position periodically with fixed signal strength. Meawhile, an unknown node obtains the location and the corresponding distance of the beacon node. Two possible position coordinate sets for the unknown node can then be calculated, and the coordinate mean of the point set with a small variance is an unbiased estimator of the unknown node's coordinate. The positioning algorithm's computation is simple, positioning accuracy is not limited by a physical distance measuring tool, and there are no restrictions on the path of motion, which makes it more realistic. An algorithm simulation is presented to compare the original and cruise location algorithm. Numerical results show that the cruise localization algorithm can achieve good positioning accuracy.