Robustness analysis for three-dimensional node localization in wireless sensor networks

Node flip ambiguity is a key problem that needs to be addressed for range-based node localization in wireless sensor networks. In this paper we have implemented robustness analysis for three-dimensional node localization in wireless sensor networks. A robustness criterion to detect flip ambiguity for range-based three-dimensional nodes localization is proposed. We have proposed that flip ambiguity detection for three-dimensional node localization is equal to whether there is a plane intersecting with all range error spheres of the reference nodes of the unknown node, which is called the existence of intersecting plane (EIP) problem. To solve EIP problem, we further have proposed two solving algorithms: common tangent plane algorithm (CTP) and orthogonal projection algorithm (OP). The simulation experiments demonstrate that CTP has good detection results, but its computational complexity is too high; however, OP has almost the same detection results as CTP and has lower computational complexity.