Adaptive Multipath-Based SLAM for Distributed MIMO Systems
(2026) In IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications 25. p.16931-16946- Abstract
Localizing users and mapping the environment using radio signals is a key task in emerging applications such as reliable low-latency communications, location-aware security, and safety-critical navigation. Recently introduced multipath-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) methods can jointly localize a mobile agent and map reflective surfaces in radio frequency (RF) environments. Most existing approaches assume that map features and their corresponding RF propagation paths are statistically independent, conditioned on the state of the mobile agent. This assumption neglects inherent dependencies that arise when a single reflective surface contributes to multiple propagation paths or when an agent communicates with multiple... (More)
Localizing users and mapping the environment using radio signals is a key task in emerging applications such as reliable low-latency communications, location-aware security, and safety-critical navigation. Recently introduced multipath-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) methods can jointly localize a mobile agent and map reflective surfaces in radio frequency (RF) environments. Most existing approaches assume that map features and their corresponding RF propagation paths are statistically independent, conditioned on the state of the mobile agent. This assumption neglects inherent dependencies that arise when a single reflective surface contributes to multiple propagation paths or when an agent communicates with multiple base stations. Existing approaches that aim to fuse information across propagation paths are further limited by their inability to perform ray tracing in RF environments with nonconvex geometries. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian multipath-based SLAM method for distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems that addresses these limitations. In particular, we exploit amplitude statistics to establish adaptive, time-varying detection probabilities. Based on the resulting 'soft' ray-tracing strategy, the proposed method can fuse information across propagation paths in RF environments with nonconvex geometries. A Bayesian estimation framework for the joint estimation of map features and agent state is developed by applying the message passing rules of the sum-product algorithm (SPA) to a factor graph representation of the proposed statistical model. We further introduce a new initialization procedure for reflective surfaces that enables the introduction of new surface states even when measurements arise solely from double-bounce paths. The proposed method is validated using both synthetic and real RF measurements obtained in challenging scenarios with nonconvex geometries and obstructed line-of-sight conditions. The results demonstrate that it provides accurate localization and mapping performance and approaches the posterior Cramér-Rao lower bound.
(Less)
- author
- Li, Xuhong LU ; Deutschmann, Benjamin J.B. ; Leitinger, Erik LU and Meyer, Florian
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- data fusion, Distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), factor graph, multipath propagation, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM), sum-product algorithm
- in
- IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications
- volume
- 25
- pages
- 16 pages
- publisher
- IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105038634185
- ISSN
- 1536-1276
- DOI
- 10.1109/TWC.2026.3679142
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4e5683d8-15dc-4378-b701-a3cf57676d36
- date added to LUP
- 2026-08-25 14:20:06
- date last changed
- 2026-08-25 14:21:14
@article{4e5683d8-15dc-4378-b701-a3cf57676d36,
abstract = {{<p>Localizing users and mapping the environment using radio signals is a key task in emerging applications such as reliable low-latency communications, location-aware security, and safety-critical navigation. Recently introduced multipath-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) methods can jointly localize a mobile agent and map reflective surfaces in radio frequency (RF) environments. Most existing approaches assume that map features and their corresponding RF propagation paths are statistically independent, conditioned on the state of the mobile agent. This assumption neglects inherent dependencies that arise when a single reflective surface contributes to multiple propagation paths or when an agent communicates with multiple base stations. Existing approaches that aim to fuse information across propagation paths are further limited by their inability to perform ray tracing in RF environments with nonconvex geometries. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian multipath-based SLAM method for distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems that addresses these limitations. In particular, we exploit amplitude statistics to establish adaptive, time-varying detection probabilities. Based on the resulting 'soft' ray-tracing strategy, the proposed method can fuse information across propagation paths in RF environments with nonconvex geometries. A Bayesian estimation framework for the joint estimation of map features and agent state is developed by applying the message passing rules of the sum-product algorithm (SPA) to a factor graph representation of the proposed statistical model. We further introduce a new initialization procedure for reflective surfaces that enables the introduction of new surface states even when measurements arise solely from double-bounce paths. The proposed method is validated using both synthetic and real RF measurements obtained in challenging scenarios with nonconvex geometries and obstructed line-of-sight conditions. The results demonstrate that it provides accurate localization and mapping performance and approaches the posterior Cramér-Rao lower bound.</p>}},
author = {{Li, Xuhong and Deutschmann, Benjamin J.B. and Leitinger, Erik and Meyer, Florian}},
issn = {{1536-1276}},
keywords = {{data fusion; Distributed multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO); factor graph; multipath propagation; simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM); sum-product algorithm}},
language = {{eng}},
pages = {{16931--16946}},
publisher = {{IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.}},
series = {{IEEE Transactions on Wireless Communications}},
title = {{Adaptive Multipath-Based SLAM for Distributed MIMO Systems}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TWC.2026.3679142}},
doi = {{10.1109/TWC.2026.3679142}},
volume = {{25}},
year = {{2026}},
}