UWB-IR receiver with accurate time-interval-measurement circuit for communication/location system

A UWB-IR (ultra wideband-impulse radio) receiver for simultaneous data communication and locationing based on the TDOA (Time Difference of Arrival) system is presented. Because the target measurement error of the locationing is 30 cm, a challenging issue of the system is to suppress the measurement error of a time interval within 1 ns. The proposed receiver includes an accurate time-interval-measurement circuit, which utilizes both a low-frequency clock and period-control signals of the clock to measure time intervals accurately with low power consumption and to correct the frequency deviation. The measured time interval has less than 1-ns error, and the receiver achieves both data communication within 0.1% packet error rate and locationing within 30-cm error, simultaneously.