Phase-based Distance Estimation Integrated With IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH Communication

Abstract

<p>Current solutions for distance estimation using the IEEE 802.15.4 TSCH standard mainly focus on improving localization performance, but in turn reduce communication performance. In this paper, we propose a novel improvement to the TSCH protocol that enables distance estimation between two devices without compromising the ongoing communication. We further improve the current state-of-the art phase-based distance estimation algorithm by combining conclusions from several research works into a single solution, that reduces energy consumption while maintaining the accuracy and sensitivity of the distance estimation results. We implemented the proposed method in the Contiki-NG OS and created a real-world measurement campaign to study the impact of the proposed solution on communication and energy consumption, which is of great concern in low-power IoT networks.</p>