Abstract: In multi-station and multi-buoy positioning systems, the system positioning error is influenced by different station arrangement methods and the number of buoy stations. The optimal objective function of the positioning system was deduced from the error function. The improvement method for sonar positioning accuracy in limited conditions was proposed. By analyzing the basic station arrangement and the relationship between precision and station ar-rangement, three kinds of station arrangement methods were compared according to the proposed method. Experi-mental results showed consistent performance as the actual situation. The relationships between the precision and the number of buoy stations, the radius of buoy station and station location were discussed from simulation, indicating that the proposed method could achieve the best arrangement of buoy stations and the best radius of the stations.