Co-operative estimation for source localisation using binary sensors

Abstract

This paper considers the problem of localising a signal source using a team of mobile agents that can only detect the presence or absence of the signal. A background false detection rate and missed detection probability are incorporated into the assumptions. An estimation algorithm is proposed that discretizes the search environment into cells, and uses Bayesian techniques to approximate the posterior probability of each cell containing the source. Analytical results are presented for a range of specific cases, and simulations are used to investigate more complex scenarios.