Modeling of the TOA-based distance measurement error using UWB indoor radio measurements

Time of arrival (TOA) estimation used with ultra wideband (UWB) transmission is currently the most popular technique for accurate indoor geolocation. Due to severe indoor multipath conditions, these techniques often suffer from significant inaccuracy in location estimation. In this paper, we introduce a model for the error in estimated distance as measured from the estimated TOA of the direct path (DP) in a typical multipath indoor environment. The TOA estimation error has two components, (1) the errors caused by the multipath dispersion affecting any signal path and (2) the errors caused by undetected direct path (UDP) conditions. The statistical behavior of this error is also a function of the system bandwidth. The empirical data from UWB indoor measurements in an office building are used to design a model for the distance measurement error. This model relates the behavior of the two components of the TOA estimation error to the bandwidth of the system.