Range Estimation of an Ultraviolet Communication Source using a Mobile Sensor

Author(s):

Terrence J Moore, Fikadu T Dagefu, Hakan Arslan, Michael J Weisman, and Robert J Drost

Abstract:

Ultraviolet (UV) communications has been proposed as a promising modality for short-range military communications, as it is often presumed to have low-probability-of-detection characteristics, has desirable non-line-of-sight properties, and resides within an underutilized frequency band. Recent research efforts have sought to formalize the first presumption of the detection of UV communications. This effort seeks to begin the study of the localization of UV communication sources after they are detected. We focus here exclusively on the range-estimation problem. Using a phenomenon relating UV received power and range over short-to-medium distances (« 1km), we develop a simple range estimator using the received signal strength. We also theoretically study the performance of the estimator using the Cramér-Rao bound, via simulations, and using previously collected data.