A new UWB scheme based on filter banks

In this paper we propose a new ultra-wideband (UWB) scheme referred to as two-level multicarrier (TLMC) UWB for high speed wireless communications. In TLMC UWB orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is employed as the first level of multicarrier modulation. The output samples of the multiple OFDM modules are then modulated on different carriers utilizing filter banks as the second level of multicarrier modulation. This new scheme possesses several advantages compared to the conventional multiband OFDM (MB-OFDM) UWB scheme. First, the new scheme can dramatically increase the system´s throughput as multiple bands can be used simultaneously. Second, the new scheme has a more flexible system configuration where band selecting and switching are all implemented in digital baseband and no carrier frequency switching is needed as in the conventional scheme. All these advantages are derived from the use of the digital filter banks. Theoretical analysis and simulation results show the validity and superiority of the proposed TLMC UWB scheme.