Fast Parabolic Wave Equation-Based Time-of-Arrival Estimation Exploiting Sparse Matrices

Abstract

The investigation of time-of-arrival (ToA) estimation techniques is of great practical interest for the deployment of wireless networks. Moreover, reliable ToA estimation can significantly enhance the performance and reliability of various applications, such as accurate localization, precise synchronization, and efficient data transmission in wireless communication systems. This letter proposes a novel fast parabolic wave equation-based ToA estimation algorithm. By integrating processes for extracting primary Fourier coefficients and designing sparse matrices, our method achieves notable computational efficiency, rendering it highly suitable for real-time applications. Simulation results of the proposed model and conventional parabolic method-based model are compared. In addition, the relative advantages of the proposed model are demonstrated through a case study conducted in a real factory environment.