A novel localization technique for wireless sensor networks using adaptive antenna arrays

In this work, we introduce a novel location estimation technique which uses adaptive antenna arrays (AAA) at the central node in wireless sensor networks (WSN). This localization technique can be used at the setup phase in the routing protocol. This technique is based on scanning the desired region in azimuth and radial directions by changing parameters of downlink beam. This sweeping process can activate the nodes in the desired region which is specified by beamwidth and beamdirection of the transmit beam and also by minimum and maximum thresholds (R_min and R_max) for the received signal strength indicator (RSSI). Active nodes in the desired region transmit their IDs and RSSI levels via multi hop communication to the central node. Unlike GPS-based or beacon based localization techniques, the proposed technique does not require any modification in the sensor nodes. The accuracy of location estimation depends on beam direction, beamwidth and transmit power for downlink beams. The results show that by carefully adjusting these parameters, desired performance can be achieved.