A 3D Geolocation Analysis of an RF Emitter Source with Two RF Sensors Based on Time and Angle of Arrival

The three-dimensional geolocation of a radio frequency RF emitting source is commonly determined using two RF sensors. Even today, most re-searchers are working on one of the three emitter-sensors motion platforms: stationary sensors–stationary emitter, moving sensors–stationary emitter, or stationary sensors–moving emitter. The present work is aimed to investigate a fourth scenario of moving RF sensors to find a moving RF emitter in space. A mathematical analysis is to consider the different cases and scenarios. Also, a corresponding algorithm is designed to simulate this analysis. We consider straight line and maneuvering motions of both the emitter and sensors. The present algorithm uses a hybrid situation of angle of arrival (AOA) and time of arrival (TOA) of the emitter RF signal to estimate the 3D moving emitter geolocation. Measurement errors of AOA and TOA are investigated and compared with the calculated values. We test the algorithm for long and short distances and it is found to be dynamic and reliable. The algorithm is tested for differ-ent values of AOAs, and TOAs with different standard deviations. Relatively small resulting emitter position error is detected. A MATLAB programming environment is utilized to build up the algorithm, carrying out calculations and presenting the output results and figures. Some of the applications of our analysis and algorithm will be presented.