A fast low-cost TOA estimation for UWB impulse radio networks

A time of arrival (TOA) estimation method for a Transmitted Reference Ultra-wideband (TR-UWB) receiver is presented and experimentally tested in a wireless environment. The receiver uses the low-complexity Time Delayed Sampling and Correlation (TDSC) method and prototype circuit. The two-step estimation proposal relies first on the sliding correlation over a symbol length, at the coarse step, to find a signal block where the direct path is enclosed, and at the second step, the sliding correlation is more finely evaluated over this signal block to estimate precisely the beginning of the pulse. Here the TOA can be evaluated with a high resolution obtained from the relatively high sampling frequency of the metal-oxide semiconductor circuit (CMOS) that implements the TDSC method. This TOA estimator structure is simple, feasible and with a low computing demand, suited for fast mobile localization.