Source localization by spatially distributed electronic noses for advection and diffusion

Based on continuous concentration measurements from spatially distributed electronic noses, the location of a point source is to be determined. It is assumed that the emitted substance is transported by advection caused by a known homogeneous wind field and by isotropic diffusion. A new two-step approach for solving the source localization problem is presented. In the first step, for each sensor i, the set of points P_i is determined, on which the source can lie, taking only the specific concentration measurement C_i at sensor i into account. In the second step, an estimate for the source position is evaluated by intersecting the sets P_i. The new approach overcomes the problem of poor convergence of iterative algorithms, which try to minimize the least squares output error. Finally, experimental results showing the capability of the new approach are presented.