A Sdr Ultra-wideband Impulse Communication System for Low and High Data Rates

The paper proposes a new way of considering software radio in the specific context of UWB. Due to the extremely wide-band nature of UWB signals, it is shown that a first stage of analog pre-processing is mandatory to make SDR applicable in this context, in other words to obtain flexible or multi-purpose UWB systems. But not any analog frontend is convenient. It must be generic enough in order to fully take benefit from SDR capabilities. The proposed solution is based on two different analog structures for impulse UWB. One is generic and provides the necessary metrics required for different kinds of digital processing operations: low data-rate communications, synchronization, localization, channel sounding... An original approach permits to relax speed and precision constraints put upon A/D conversion and digital processing. It is then possible to apply SDR techniques in order to target one specific operational system or application. The second structure is dedicated to very high data rates (up to 600 Mbps) and is based on a non-coherent energy detector with optimum performance. Moreover it also uses the generic structure for synchronization purposes. Physical constraints are so much reduced that low-cost SDRcompatible systems become conceivable, even for high data-rates, with the additional advantage of flexibility.