Ultrasonic Localization Methods for Accurate Positioning

This paper gives a general overview of projects developed in our labs to localize objects using ultrasonic waves in air. All the developed solutions use active trilateration techniques, i.e. they rely on measuring the Time-of-Flight (ToF) an ultrasound signal needs to go from one (o r several) emitter(s) to one (or several) receiver(s). These localization systems were applied in dif ferent sectors, such as robotics, intelligent warehouses, greenhouses, hospitals or archaeological site s, among others. A short historical introduction is given, including the trilateration concept, and then the most inter esting details for each project are described. The main approaches are presented and the mos difficult challenges, that had to be overcome to meet the project specifications, are highlighted.

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