3D Self-Localization and Tracking with Minimum Anchor Dependency: A Hybrid Measurement and EKF-Based Approach

This paper investigates the feasibility of 3D self-localization and tracking using chipless radio frequency identification (RFID) tags operating in the terahertz (THz) frequency band. The primary objective is to achieve sub-millimeter (sub-mm) localization and tracking accuracy while minimizing reliance on external infrastructure. To this end, a hybrid localization framework is proposed that jointly exploits round-trip time-of-flight (RToF) and angle-of-arrival (AoA) measurements to enhance localization performance. Although near-field propagation effects are inherently significant in the considered THz operating regime, a simplified far-field approximation is adopted to facilitate tractable system modeling and analytical development. The proposed framework is further extended to dynamic scenarios through an extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based tracking algorithm, which incorporates temporal state evolution to improve estimation robustness under noisy measurements. Furthermore, the Cramér–Rao lower bound (CRLB) for the hybrid RToF-AoA system is derived to establish the fundamental limits of localization accuracy under varying system configurations and measurement conditions. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed approach is capable of achieving sub-mm localization and tracking accuracy with a highly constrained anchor infrastructure, including operation with a single anchor in the considered scenario. These findings highlight the potential of THz chipless RFID technology as a promising enabling solution for next-generation high-accuracy localization and tracking applications.