A Range-Difference Based Self-Positioning Scheme for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

In this paper, we present a silent positioning scheme termed as UPS for underwater acoustic sensor networks. UPS relies on the time-difference of arrivals measured locally at a sensor to detect range differences from the sensor to four anchor nodes. These range differences are averaged over multiple beacon intervals before they are combined to estimate the 3D sensor location through trilateration. UPS requires no time-synchronization and provides location privacy at underwater vehicles/sensors whose locations need to be determined. Simulation study on the position error of UPS under acoustic fading channels indicates that UPS is an effective scheme for underwater vehicle/sensor self- positioning.