G-CRLB analysis of time delay based localization for decode-and-forward cooperative relay networks in multipath environments

In this study, we investigate the fundamental limits for time delay based location estimation in decode-andforward (DF) relaying strategy based cooperative relay networks considering multipath environments. The limits are presented by obtaining Cramer-Rao Lower Bounds (CRLBs) expressions. Simulations are performed to verify the CRLB expressions and show the effects of the node topology of the network, number of relay nodes, and number of multipath components (MPCs) on the location estimation accuracy of source node. According to the results, the placement of the relay nodes is very important to lower the location estimation error. Furthermore, using more relay nodes decreases the location estimation error, dramatically. Finally, processing more MPCs at the destination node is crucial to improve the estimation accuracy in the cooperative relay networks.