A Novel Positioning Method in Single Frequency Networks Under Transmitter Confusion Problem

Broadcasting signals have been recognized as promising candidates for positioning and navigation needs thanks to its many advantages compared to signals in satellite based navigation systems. However, in most single frequency broadcasting networks, the transmitter confusion problem poses a huge obstacle. One of the key steps of the time of arrival (TOA) based positioning is to measure the transmission delay of signals transmitted from all transmitters on line of sight (LOS) path, and to calculate the distance to all transmitters respectively. Without knowing the transmitter identities, the receiver cannot determine the distance to transmitters, thus can no longer determine its own position. In this paper, a novel position determination algorithm is proposed to realize positioning in single frequency networks (SFN) with five or more transmitters. The proposed algorithm can determine the receiver position under transmitter confusion problem. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can fulfill positioning tasks in SFN with high accuracy.