Robust mobile location estimation based on signal attenuation for cellular communication systems

A mobile location scheme using a weighted centroid method based on the ratios of distances between mobile and base stations derived from the differences of signal attenuations is proposed. The proposed method does not require perfect path loss and shadowing models, and is capable of being applied in existing systems without hardware modifications. Simulations demonstrate encouraging performance with only two base stations being available in shadowing environments. Additionally, the results of driving measurement show that the proposed method outperforms the Cell-ID method in a real GSM system.