Investigation of Variety of Non-CoherentFront end Detectors For Timing Estimation

Abstract: The indoor localization of mobile users is currently a central issue for many applications and fields, including sensor networks, asset management, healthcare, ambient-assisted living, and public safety personnel localization. Existing solutions often rely on the fusion of information from multiple sensors. The potential of using an ultra wideband (UWB) system for wireless distance measurement based on the round-trip time (RTT) has been investigated in this thesis. Non-coherent UWB receivers have been analyzed using two different approaches: amplitude detection and energy detection. Both non-coherent UWB receivers front ends have been designed and implemented. Simulations of the measurement performance are also provided. Furthermore, a method has been proposed using undersampling over a burst of UWB pulses to reconstruct the original pulse and try to approximate the optimal performance of the ideal UWB receiver. The simulations yield interesting results regarding the performance of the RTT estimation. Both detection techniques are compared, describing the advantages and disadvantages of each one.