Application-optimized quantizers for time delay estimation in sensor networks

Sensor networks have emerged as a fundamentally new tool for monitoring inaccessible environments. They are distinguished from traditional sensors by strict limitations on system bandwidth and sensor energy resources. These constraints motivate the use of data compression at each sensor. Location finding is an important application of sensor networks, and estimation of the time delay between data from different sensors is a key step in localization. In this work, new quantizer designs specific to the time-delay estimation problem in sensor networks are presented. The goal for these new application-specific encoders is to achieve the best time delay estimate at a given bandwidth budget or latency bound, or minimize the rate required to reach an estimate with desired accuracy.