Vehicular Wireless Positioning -- A Survey

TL;DR

This survey provides a comprehensive, cross-technology examination of wireless-based vehicular positioning, spanning satellite systems, 5G/6G cellular positioning, and IEEE-based methods, and highlights the critical role of sensor fusion with onboard perception and motion sensors. It clarifies how relative and absolute positioning complement each other, surveys historical development and current state, and identifies core challenges such as integrity, synchronization, privacy, and robustness in dynamic driving environments. A key contribution is the structured synthesis of positioning fundamentals, standards evolution, contemporary solutions, and open problems across GNSS/LEO, 5G mmWave and sub-6, Wi‑Fi/UWB/Bluetooth, and sensor-fusion frameworks, with emphasis on cooperative localization and multi-technology integration. The paper emphasizes that the future of vehicular positioning lies in intelligent, secure, ultra-tight sensor fusion and standardized data interfaces that enable reliable, centimeter-level accuracy in safety-critical contexts, even in challenging urban canyons and obstructed environments.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of connected and autonomous vehicles has driven a growing demand for precise and reliable positioning systems capable of operating in complex environments. Meeting these demands requires an integrated approach that combines multiple positioning technologies, including wireless-based systems, perception-based technologies, and motion-based sensors. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of wireless-based positioning for vehicular applications, with a focus on satellite-based positioning (such as global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites), cellular-based positioning (5G and beyond), and IEEE-based technologies (including Wi-Fi, ultrawideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications). First, the survey reviews a wide range of vehicular positioning use cases, outlining their specific performance requirements. Next, it explores the historical development, standardization, and evolution of each wireless positioning technology, providing an in-depth categorization of existing positioning solutions and algorithms, and identifying open challenges and contemporary trends. Finally, the paper examines sensor fusion techniques that integrate these wireless systems with onboard perception and motion sensors to enhance positioning accuracy and resilience in real-world conditions. This survey thus offers a holistic perspective on the historical foundations, current advancements, and future directions of wireless-based positioning for vehicular applications, addressing a critical gap in the literature.

Figures (12)

• Figure 1: A few scenarios of vehicular positioning: This figure illustrates key vehicular positioning scenarios, including urban, highway, and rural environments, highlighting the use of various radio technologies such as , , 5G cellular base stations (gNB) using , , and /PC5 and communications. The illustration sketch is courtesy of Prof. Sujit Kumar Chakrabarti, IIIT Bangalore.
• Figure 2: Overview of the main sections of the paper.
• Figure 3: The relationship between the integrity parameters PL and AL.
• Figure 4: The Stanford diagram showing the relationship between the system availability, positioning error, and integrity parameters PL and AL.
• Figure 5: Multilateration with satellite references, the method behind positioning, the receiver estimates ranges to three or more satellites. In practice, receiver clock drift necessitates four or more references to solve a four-plus variable problem with "pseudoranges", including clock offset.