Passive TDOA and DOA based HF geolocation without ionosphere information

Conventional HF geolocation method based on ray tracing relies on strict requirement on ionosphere information while line-of-bearing based geolocation method and time difference of arrival (TDOA) based method require fine angular resolution and large aperture array. In practical applications, these methods will be subject to practical constraints, especially when operated in land-limited environment. This paper investigates a new approach of HF geolocation based on TDOA and direction of arrival (DOA) of multipaths, which can alleviate the strict requirements on ionosphere information and large aperture array. A nonlinear optimization problem is formulated based on the virtual path propagation model and solved by numerical optimization methods. Simulation studies are provided to illustrate the potential of the proposed method.