Student project: Ultrawideband Wireless Localization using Multipath Assistance

Exploiting multipath propagation to accurately determine the position of an UWB sensor

What you will do

Spatial awareness is being introduced for many wireless sensors. Due to the degraded performance of GPS in indoor environments, other wireless technologies are required to support asset tracking, navigation, and way-finding applications. Utrawideband (UWB) technology is being supported more and more by smartphones, and the first UWB sensors are on the market.

At imec-NL new generations UWB front-ends are being developed. A previous MSc student evaluated the distance, angle and positioning estimation performance of multiple UWB boards . Based on insights gained by these experiments, proposals for wireless signal processing algorithms are being considered, that exploit multipath propagation, to accurately determine the position of an UWB sensor.

In this MSC thesis project, the proposed wireless signal processing algorithms will be studied, and the one with the best trade-offs will be selected for implementation. A professional motion-capture system with cameras is available to provide ground-truth position estimate

Main tasks:

• Literature survey on the proposed signal processing algorithms to exploit multipath propagation for UWB systems.
• Simulation in Matlab/Python of the accuracy and precision of ranging, direction finding, and positioning outputs of the selected algorithm.
• Measurement with the algorithm running on an UWB hardware platform, using the motion capturing system as a ground truth reference.
• Thesis writing and technical documentation.

What we do for you

In this MSc thesis project, you will be working on cutting-edge research on a topic that is very relevant to both academic research and industrial applications. To help you in this journey, imec-NL offers a flexible environment where you can be the leader of your own research while at the same time have support of experts from signal processing and systems design to complete your tasks. As part of IoT team in IMEC-Netherlands you will have opportunities to learn from the some of the best minds in signal processing as well as other research domains.

Who you are

• You are a Master student in Computer Science, Embedded Systems, Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• You are available for a period of 6 to 9 months.
• Prior experience and affinity with wirelessl signal processing.
• Prior experience with Matlab/Python.
• Entitled to do an internship in the Netherlands, Eindhoven.
• Motivated student eager to work independently and expand knowledge in the field.
• Good written and verbal English skills.

Interested

Does this project sound like an interesting next step in your career at imec? Don’t hesitate to submit your application by clicking on ‘APPLY NOW’.
Got some questions about the recruitment process? Martijn Kohl of the Talent Acquisition Team will be happy to assist you.