UWB signal detection using eigen-based receiver

Wireless ultra-wideband (UWB) receivers usually employ a deterministic clean pulse or a pulse derived from a Gaussian waveform as a template for correlation. A deterministic template is not expected to have the capability of correlating highly with random UWB signals all the time. The resulting mismatch, however, can significantly degrade the system error performance. We therefore optimize a deterministic template to achieve the maximum energy capture capability in the sense of ensemble average. The UWB correlator using the optimal deterministic template can be employed along with combining to enhance signal detection. The resulting receivers outperform their counterparts using a clean pulse, as evidenced by theoretical analysis and numerical results based on real UWB data.