Communication Through Soil in Wireless Underground Sensor Networks – Theory and Practice

Abstract

In this chapter, we present several user localization techniques used in the context of wireless sensors networks. These techniques are introduced with respect to the three different stages followed in any localization process: (i) the signal acquisition and the derivation of the corresponding distance model, (ii) the terminal positioning algorithm, and (iii) the filtering of the estimates over time in order to provide a dynamic tracking. Moreover, it is shown how an additional sensor (i.e., an accelerometer here) can be included in the filter model. The emphasizes is put on the fusion of the informations derived from the sensors in order to significantly refine the localization accuracy.