Multipath-Aided Direct Path ToA Reconstruction for Integrated UWB Receivers in Generalized NLoS

Impulse Radio - Ultra Wideband (IR-UWB) ranging based on first detected path's Time-of-Arrival (ToA) theoretically enables high-accuracy localization in Line of Sight (LoS) contexts. However, performance can be severely degraded in practical indoor environments due to both dense multipath propagation and signal obstructions. To mitigate these effects, the space-time correlation of tracked multipath components (MPCs) under mobility can be beneficial to collectively reconstruct the missing direct path's ToA in case of detected NLoS situation. This paper aims at improving further the robustness of such Multipath-aided Direct Path Reconstruction (MDPR) in very dense multipath and generalized NLoS with respect to anchors, while considering constraints of real integrated IR-UWB receivers. More specifically, new strategies are introduced to better approximate and dynamically adjust the link between direct and secondary paths for longer-term correction validity, as well as to handle MPCs appearance/disappearance over NLoS portions of trajectory. The proposed solution is validated by means of semi-deterministic dynamic simulations based on IEEE 802.15.4a channel models.