Patent ID: 7429951

Claim:
A method for estimating the geo-location of a wireless transmitter emitting a signal that is received by a plurality of sensors in a geo-location system which further includes a geo-location estimation device which provides an overdetermined geo-location solution for the wireless transmitter, comprising the steps of: (a) at the sensors: (i) measuring an attribute of the emitted signal to thereby create a sensor signal; and (ii) sending the sensor signal to the geo-location estimation device; (b) at the geo-location estimation device: (i) receiving the plural sensor signals; (ii) associating with each sensor signal a separate initial predetermined weight value to thereby provide a plurality of initial estimation signals; (iii) determining an initial estimate of the geo-location of the wireless transmitter from the initial estimation signals; (iv) modifying the weight value associated with the dominant sensor signals relative to the weight value associated with the non-dominant sensor signals to thereby provide a plurality of refined estimation signals; (v) determining a refined estimate of the geo-location of the wireless transmitter from the refined estimation signals; (vi) repeating steps (b)(iv) through (b)(v) a predetermined number of times to thereby estimate the geo-location of the wireless transmitter.